Blog: Why Does My Dog Lick His Feet?

It is dark outside and all the lights are out. The house is quiet and you are snuggled into your cozy bed. As you start to drift off to sleep, you are suddenly awakened as the bed begins to shake. You hear the horrific noise of moist, sloppy, snuffling at the end of the bed. You flip on the light to see where the commotion is coming from. As you scan the room, you see it is coming from your dog who has his nose pressed deeply into his paw while he chews and licks the bottom of his foot.

If this has ever happened to you, you are not alone. Believe it or not, your pet is not trying to disrupt your peaceful sleep. Your pet is actually trying to deal with a legitimate medical problem. This intense gnawing at the foot is one of the many signs of allergies.

For some pets, this is the only sign you will ever see.  (If you don’t see licking or chewing but there are areas on your pet that have turned brown or rust colored…you have a pet that licks when you are not around!) The licking and chewing may occur on the feet, on the legs, or around the tail or hips. Other animals will scratch around their head, neck and shoulders or under their front legs. While these animals are certainly uncomfortable, there are other animals that have things much worse. Some animals will scratch or chew so much that they cause painful sores and infected wounds on their skin. Sometimes animals can develop rashes, ear infections, conjunctivitis (eye infections) and upper respiratory infections as a result of their allergies.

So now that you know that your pet has signs of allergies, what can be done?

Animals can be allergic to many things in the environment (such as pollens, grasses, ragweed), parasites (fleas and mosquitoes), or certain foods. Your veterinarian should work with you to determine if there are patterns to the signs of allergies or if they occur all of the time. This information will help your veterinarian form a management plan for your pet. For many animals, medical management or changes in the diet are the main courses of therapy and can greatly relieve allergy signs. Allergy testing can also be performed to determine the exact causes of irritation and develop a more specific treatment plan for your pet. The most important part of controlling allergy signs is to understand that allergies are an ongoing issue that will require lifelong management. If your pet requires a dietary change, your veterinarian should let you know how strict of a diet change you are to follow to help your pet.

The infections that occur due to allergies are secondary to the inflammation and itching that occur in the skin, eyes and airways. These infections will continue to occur if the allergy is not controlled. If your pet has reoccurring ear infections, rashes or “hot spots” (bleeding skin infections), this is a very big sign for allergies. You should call your veterinarian to get your pet on medication that can help decrease, or prevent, the occurrence of these infections.

While allergies may not seem to be a big deal because your pet is still eating, drinking and acting normally, it is important to know that untreated allergies can be very uncomfortable for your pet. Left untreated, allergies often lead to more serious infections that can require more aggressive treatment. If you see signs of allergies in your pet or have any questions, give your veterinarian a call.