Dogs lick their paws for multiple reasons. Generally, dogs lick their paws to keep them clean. However, if you find your dog constantly licking its paws, it can be due to some underlying health condition. Skin conditions, injuries, parasites, environmental factors and food allergies are among a few reasons that may cause your pooch to lick its paws aggressively.

In this article, we will be shedding light on some of the common reasons for paw licking and ways to address it.

Why does a dog lick its paws?

Here are some of the common reasons for a dog to lick its paws:

• Injuries

An injury on the paws can lead a dog to lick its paw. Stepping on a sharp object or hot pavement can be among the common causes of paw injury. It may also have a foreign object like glass awns and splinters stuck to its paws causing discomfort and paw licking.

• Allergies

An allergy is one of the most common causes of paw licking. Allergies cause irritation or itching which causes dogs to lick their paws for relief. Environmental allergies and food allergies are ones that generally cause paw itching.

• Unusual Growths

There are possibilities that your dog has an unusual growth on one of its paws like a tumor or cyst that is causing discomfort. In order to get relief during such conditions, dogs can lick their paws.

• Behavioural Concerns

There are instances when a dog’s paw licking is linked to certain behavioural problems. The reason can be simply boredom or could be signs of fear, stress and anxiety. Sometimes canines get into the habit of licking their paws to kill boredom and it eventually turns into a habit. According to studies, dogs can also suffer from severe cases of compulsive tendencies that lead them to lick their paws aggressively.

How to prevent a dog from excessive paw licking?

Here we’ve listed a few ways that can help control your dog’s excessive paw licking.

• Take care of your dog’s paws

In order to prevent your dog from licking its paws, it is important that you clean their feet after they come home from a walk. While it is difficult to prevent injuries linked to bee stings and thorns, the above treatment can help keep your pooch’s paws healthy and control unwanted paw licking.

• Use a moisturiser

If your dog is licking its paws due to excessive dryness, moisturising them can be quite helpful. However, you will need to ensure that your dog is clean and dry before you apply any product to it.

• Cover your dog’s paws

You can make use of dog-specific socks to cover your pooch’s paws in order to keep them protected. This will control excessive licking and also protect the paws while your dog is taking a stroll outdoors.

Final Thought

While we do agree that paw licking can be annoying for dogs, it isn’t life-threatening though. It is a health issue that we need to address and cure for our dog to remain comfortable. However, extreme licking can cause painful lesions that can lead to secondary infections. During such incidences, you must visit your vet urgently for immediate treatment.