Every dog owner knows the phenomenon: The four-legged friend licks and nibbles devotionally and with growing enthusiasm on his paws. In general, this is not a problem and is part of the natural hygiene of the dog, but if the dog begins to nibble on his paws for hours every day, his person should take a closer look. Then behind the nibbling can hide quite a health problem. You can dog deodorant for the best solution now.
Causes of nibbling and licking the paws
People itch ever between the toes, behind the ears or on the back. What is he doing? He scratches himself to relieve the itching, and after a while, the spook goes by itself again. It is the same when the dog licks his paws or when he nibbles at them: usually there is an itch behind him would like to relieve with cooling saliva. This can be problematic for two reasons: The relief that the dog feels through the alleviation of itching triggers happiness in him. Especially when he is underemployed and bored, it can happen that the nibbling and licking becomes an obsessive-compulsive disorder with which the dog always wants to get happy.
An actual itching on the paws can also have numerous causes. In the best case, the dog has entered the last walk a small stone between his toes, that he removed by nibbling on his own. Often, however, there are tiny injuries that simply disturb the dog and against which he can do nothing, for example, fine cracks in the ball of the foot, a tiny broken glass or in winter road salt that burns. If the owner notices that the dog licks or nibbles a paw for a long time, he should examine the paw more closely and remove any foreign objects. If nothing can be aligned, for example, in the case of a crack or after an insect bite, the dog can be given some relief with cream if necessary. Generally, however, the paw should heal easily.
What to do if there is no external evidence?
Was the paw thoroughly examined and found nothing and the dog nibbles and still licks on? Then the itching could have been triggered by an allergy. Like humans, dogs can suffer from various allergies to individual ingredients in the feed or from contact allergies. Whether your own dog is allergic to a particular feed, can be determined with a blood and allergy test at the vet and with an exclusion diet. It is observed for several weeks, whether the dog is allergic to a specific feed. If the suspicion is confirmed, the feed is adjusted accordingly. In a contact allergy, e.g., certain grasses, these should be avoided. Furthermore, the veterinarian can check if there is an infection with fungi or mites,
How can the dog be protected?
Of course, there is no complete protection against foreign bodies and injuries to the paws. For long-haired dogs, it may be useful to cut the long hair between the individual toes, so that no stones or broken glass can get caught in it. In addition, special “dog shoes” can be a good idea. For example, if your own dog is very sensitive to road salt, it can wear shoes on the strewn sidewalk in winter. As soon as he is allowed to run free in the field, the shoes are removed.