Dec
10
2009
Dog Constantly Licking His Feet?
Posted by: Alan in Flea Allergies In Dogs, tags: Constantly, Feet, Licking
I have a 5 year old shih tzu who is an allergy baby,he eats Solid Gold dog food,which is sold only at specialty shops and health food stores for allergy dogs-it’s a really good quality food-only whole meats no by products etc. He has no fleas and is on a monthly flea pill. We recently moved and when we did he started licking his feet constantly,to the point where his whole foot will be soaking wet,he does this to all 4’s. He’s checked out at the Vet as being the picture of health-What could cause the foot issue? MAybe he’s been misdiagnosed?
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December 10th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Please have your dog’s thyroid function checked with a FULL thyroid panel. I highlight the word ‘full’, because most vets will only do part of one, and -whatever you may be told – it would be impossible to *reliably* asses the thyroid function by doing only part of a panel. You will need a minimum of T3, FT3, T4, FT4 and T3&T4 Auto-antibodies. – Unless your vet can order those parameters from the lab he is using, it would be a waste of money and effort to do less.
I would highly recommend to use Dr. Jean Dodds’ lab for the test and go for panel # 7200, which is excellent value for money – I’ll put the website below for you. Dr. Dodds is argueably the worlds greatest authority on all autoimmune conditions, and in particular Hypothyroidism. This condition is still poorly understood by many vets, and you may be told the test result is “normal” when it is not.
Constant licking of limbs and feet can be a symptom for some autoimmune process going on in the body, and combined with allergies it is most often the thyroid function that is not right. It may be that some fungus has taken hold, due to a low and weak immune system – so it might be an idea to have your vet check for Malasezzia (fungal overgrowth) too. – I don’t know Solid Gold Dog food, but if it’s any kind of kibble (hypo-allergenic or not), I would change to either a home cooked or raw meaty bone diet. It is cheaper and better. All kibble is grain or rice based, and any carbohydrates will convert in the body to sugars…. and sugar feeds yeast overgrowth. It’s a vicious circle.
Always remember – allergies ALWAYS have an underlying cause, and that cause needs to be found and put right. An allergy is a *reaction* to something – not a disease in itself.
Best of luck,
Christina
December 10th, 2009 at 8:30 am
One of my family members dog did this. Turned out the dog was allergic to the grass. The licking was worse right after mowing but just being in the grass at all would cause some licking.
They had to wipe the dogs feet with a damp towel every time he came inside.
Maybe it’s the carpet in the new house. Was the dog use to carpet in your old house?
Has your vet said anything about maybe it being a stress reaction to the move?
I wish you luck! I hope you find out what it is soon. Let us know.
December 10th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
well my cat once did that and he had been stung by a bee. Was your doggy outside? It could have something in his foot ( glass, splinter, pebble, bee stinger ) Take him to the vet just to make sure it is nothing serious though!
i hope i helped!
December 10th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
His feet could be bothering him, maybe an allergic reaction to something. my landlords cat licks his feet constantly and he had seizures, and hes deaf as well
December 10th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
My Lab suffers from a dust allergy and licks, nibbles and chews her paws.
I think something at the new house must have caused the allergies to flare up.
l get a spray from the vet for Milly’s feet, it’s an antiseptic spray that cools the feet and stops her chewing.
See the vet again and see if a spray would help, antihistamines also help Milly. A 10 day course when her allergy is bad soon calms it down.
Edit…..my Lab gets monthly immunotherapy injections, but she still has flare ups and needs the antihistamines and the spray.
They may help your dog.