Why Does My Dog Lick His Paws?

Normal grooming or a problem?

Dogs lick their paws to clean them, especially after coming inside from dirty or sandy ground. That kind of licking is brief, relaxed and spread across the paws, and then the dog moves on. The AKC draws the line clearly: if your dog frequently and intensely licks his paws, you can assume something is wrong.

The signs that move licking from grooming into a problem are easy to spot once you know them: the dog returns to the same paw again and again, the fur between the toes stays damp, the skin looks red or swollen, the coat thins where the tongue works, or the licking keeps the dog awake at night. A dog that chews as well as licks, or that licks until the paw is sore, needs a vet visit rather than a wait and see approach.

Start with the paw itself

When the licking begins very suddenly and is focused on one paw, the first step is to examine that paw. Look at the pads, between the toes, around the nails and across the top of the foot. You are looking for a cut, a torn nail, a growth, or something caught in the paw such as a stone, a thorn or a ball of ice in cold weather.

A paw can also be irritated by stepping on something sharp, walking on salted or hot pavements, being stung by a bee, or getting a blister. Some of these need only simple first aid and rest, while others need a veterinarian. Do not force the examination if the paw is clearly painful: a dog in pain can snap, and a vet can check the paw safely.

Allergies: the most common cause of ongoing licking

When all four paws are involved and the licking goes on for weeks, allergies are the first suspect. Dogs show allergies through their skin, and the paws are where the skin meets the ground all day. Environmental allergens such as pollen, mould, dust mites and certain grasses can make the feet itch, and the itch often follows the seasons or flares after walks through long grass or freshly treated lawns.

Contact irritation is part of the same picture. A dog can develop sore paws from chemicals used in the yard, products meant to deice a driveway, or certain types of grass or weeds. Keeping a bowl of water and a towel by the door and gently rinsing the paws when you come inside can help, and drying carefully between every toe matters, because leftover moisture is exactly what yeast likes.

Food allergies are also known to cause itchy paws, and they are difficult to pinpoint. Your vet may suggest a special diet or the removal of certain ingredients from the food to try to find the trigger. A food trial takes weeks and needs to be done properly, so it is a vet guided project rather than a guess at home.

Skin infection between the toes

Constant licking keeps the skin between the toes wet, and wet skin is where trouble grows. The moisture of constant foot licking can cause a secondary bacterial or yeast infection, which brings even more itching, redness and swelling, and therefore even more licking. The cycle feeds itself, which is why the AKC advises not to wait too long before getting a vet involved.

Vets call inflammation of the paw skin pododermatitis. It covers the skin between the toes, the pads, the nail folds and the nails, and it is often secondary to an underlying allergy. Yeast, usually the type called Malassezia, normally lives on a dog's skin in small numbers and overgrows when the skin is already inflamed and damp. A strong musty smell, greasy skin, redness between the toes and reddish brown staining of the fur can fit yeast overgrowth, but none of those signs confirms it on their own. A vet checks with a skin sample under the microscope before treating, because bacteria, yeast, parasites and allergy can all look alike from the outside.

Parasites and pain

Parasite infections such as fleas or mange can make the paws very itchy, and your vet can recommend a treatment that removes the parasites and should relieve the itching. Mange mites in particular can start on the feet, so itchy paws with hair loss or crusting deserve a skin scraping rather than a guess.

Pain is the cause owners miss most often. A dog in pain from arthritis or another foot or leg condition may lick his paws, and the pain does not have to be in the paw itself: some dogs deal with pain elsewhere in the body by licking a front paw continuously. That is why a dog that licks one paw despite a clean bill of health for that paw still needs a proper examination. Only a vet can diagnose the pain and treat it.

Boredom, anxiety and habit

Once you and your veterinarian have ruled out injury, skin problems, parasites, food and pain, the cause may be behavioural. A bored dog with too much energy and too little to do can turn to its paws for something to do, and an anxious dog can lick as a way to soothe itself, in the same way some dogs pace or chew. Some dogs develop a compulsive habit of paw licking that continues even after the original cause is gone.

For boredom, more walks or runs, more play with you and with other dogs, and puzzle toys or safe chew toys can take the dog's focus away from his paws. For anxiety, such as fear of noises or separation anxiety, a good animal behaviourist can suggest options to try. Our separation anxiety guide covers the signs and the first steps, and the same settling and independence habits help here too: a comfortable bed with a chew, a place cue, and short absences built up a little at a time.

When to see a vet, and when it is urgent

Most paw licking is not an emergency, but some patterns should not wait:

• Licking that breaks the skin. Raw, bleeding or swollen paws, sores between the toes, or a paw the dog will not put weight on need a vet visit promptly.
• Licking plus other symptoms. Licking together with limping, loss of appetite, vomiting, ear infections that keep coming back, or itching elsewhere on the body points at a wider problem, often allergy or pain.
• Licking that does not stop. If the licking has gone on for more than a week or two, or keeps coming back, the cause is still there and the wet skin is at risk of a secondary infection.
• A sudden change in an older dog. New, intense licking in a senior dog can be pain, often arthritis, and deserves a check rather than a new toy.
• Panic or compulsion. If the dog cannot be distracted from licking at all, injures himself doing it, or panics when left alone, that is beyond a home training project. A veterinarian can rule out medical causes, and a certified behaviourist can build a plan for the anxiety or the compulsive habit itself.