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Excessive paw-licking?

2K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  kontiki 
#1 ·
Cleo loves to lick everyone's face, but other than the occasional obsession with her crotch, i hadn't noticed this problem before. Earlier this week, she started licking the top of one of her front paws. I wondered if she stepped in something that irritated her but there was nothing visible. There was no change in her diet or anything else I'm aware of. I have offered her chews that she likes, to give her something else to do with her mouth, but she eventually goes back to the paw. i have to think something there is bothering her. Now, after a few days, i noticed she has a small raw spot on top of one of her toes. Obviously i don't want this to continue! Any advice on stopping it and on protecting the part of her foot that is irritated?
 
#7 ·
I agree with Dechi. If it's not something like an allergy or sensitivity to something outside or a food allergy, (doubtful) it may well be a sign of anxiety or boredom. See if you can distract her when you see her going on for more than what you think it would take her to be satisfied with "grooming" herself. Get her interested in something else and reinforce. But yeah, first make sure it's not something physiological...medical.
 
#8 ·
We have been watering the yard after overseeding a few weeks ago. The seed was covered with mulchy dirt, which made a big mess on our floor... And as a result of that i have been checking her feet closely when she comes in to make sure nothing got stuck. But the grass is pretty far along growing in now, so there's not much exposed dirt left. The seed itself was always well covered, and I didn't find any on her feet. I was wondering earlier if the mulch might irritate her. The fact that it's only one foot makes me think it's irritation rather than boredom or anxiety.

Today i made a paste of baking soda and water and put it between her toes and on top of the one that has a raw spot. I don't know if it helped, but of course she wanted to lick that, too. (bleah)

I also wonder if maybe i didn't trim her hair short enough around her paws/paw pads, since there's still a good bit of hair in there.
 
#11 ·
Brief update on this--the paw situation seemed to be improving, in that the red area was going away, when I noticed she'd started biting and licking at the front of her front leg (the other leg), right around the knee joint. Sure enough when i looked she had a raw spot--hard to find with all the fur. Around the raw spot, i can feel an area that feels scabby. It's hard to see through the fur, but it looks like there are raised bumpy scabs around the knee joint. I checked the other front leg, and they are there, too, in the same place. I can't believe i would not have felt these during grooming--i brush her every day--but i suppose it's possible that i'm not actually running my hands over that area, usually just the brush. So, i'm taking her to the vet later this week. I have no idea what it could be but i cleaned the raw spot and put some antibac ointment on there, then put a tall sock on her to keep her from biting/licking. It's not like she's constantly licking, just randomly/occasionally. i keep giving her other things to chew in the hopes of distracting her, which seems to work somewhat. So, i'll be interested to see what the dr says.
 
#14 ·
...right around the knee joint. Sure enough when i looked she had a raw spot--hard to find with all the fur. Around the raw spot, i can feel an area that feels scabby....
This sounds like a skin issue of some sort for sure, but patchy. One of our bulldogs Millie has the same issue (from what it sounds like) that randomly occurred! No change in her food, lifestyle, stress, anything! I unfortunately forgot the name, but Millie was diagnosed with this skin condition that was easily treated for her.
This was about 1-2 years ago, but from what I can remember, had to do with the oils on her skin. Our vet prescribed special soap and leave-in conditioner for her. Giving her a bath once a week (maybe twice) was the fix all and did this for about a month. The soap would strip all the oils from her skin, especially those scabby areas. The conditioner was to be mixed with warm water and be poured/soaked on her skin everywhere the soap touched. This would replenish and nourish those scabby areas. We would also dip her paws in the conditioner and have her stand in a bowl of it. We would have to have her drip dry in the shower (per the instructions to not rub off the conditioner).

To this day we have some of this special soap and condition left over and give it to her when needed. Ever few months we will pet her a her fur will come off in patches (where the scabs will be discovered underneath). Then we know its time for a good conditioned soak.

Maybe talk to your vet regarding the oils in your pups skin. Some type of good soap or leave-in conditioner may help your baby out. Hoping you find an answer soon :)
 
#13 ·
May I suggest you clip your beloved poodle down to perhaps a 7 in the areas there may be problems so that you can find them quickly, and so that they can be exposed to fresh air?

This sounds so uncomfortable.

Having their fur/hair look lovely is far less important than having them healthy. May your dear poodle be well soon.
 
#16 ·
Thank you all for the suggestions! I took Cleo to the vet and it turned out the spot on her leg is a mild bacterial infection, and it had already started to heal from using bacitracin and covering it with a sock. She gave us a different topical antibiotic to use--it's a liquid that I apply diluted in water--and said to continue putting socks on her while it heals the rest of the way if she is chewing. It's already quite a bit better. It's in a spot where she often gets food from chews and bark from sticks, etc, stuck to her fur, so i wonder if it was caused by a contact allergy. Her paw was pododermatitis, probably from too much moisture staying between her toes, but it is all better so we don't have to do anything there. Anyway, i'm going to keep an eye on things and see if it seems to be exacerbated by a particular activity or food. (Interestingly, she doesn't mind wearing the socks, doesn't chew on them or anything. I've been calling her "sock puppy"...)
 
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