Is your dog constantly licking or biting its paws? Vet warns pet owners to seek medical attention now

Is your dog constantly licking or biting its paws? Vet warns pet owners to seek medical attention now
  • PublishedMay 15, 2024

‘It’s absolutely not normal behaviour and you need to see a vet straight away.’

A veterinarian has warned pet owners why they need to seek medical attention immediately if they notice their dogs are constantly licking or biting their paws.

Amir Anwary, from South Africa, explained how the simple act could be a serious sign of a health condition.

“Is your dog constantly biting and licking their paws? I’m here to tell you that is absolutely not normal behaviour,” Anwary said in a now-viral video.

“There is most likely a medical reason for why your dog is licking or biting their paws and it needs to be seen by a veterinarian.

“These are all treatable so you guys should pay attention to this and do something about it because your dog is in discomfort.”

He said one of the most common reasons dogs are licking or biting than paws more than unusual is they could be experiencing an allergy.

“So this could be food or environmental allergies,” Anwary explained.

“Like humans, when we get allergies, we start to sneeze or our eyes get watery. With dogs, it presents in their skin so they get extremely itchy and they start biting and licking their paws a lot.

“It’s an allergic reaction that they’re having and it’s extremely uncomfortable for them to deal with so you guys should definitely get them into a vet if they’re doing that.”

Anwary explained how ticks, fleas, mites and parasite inflections can cause your dog to start scratching or itching.

“This is a very easy one to treat if your dog is doing that, get them on to medication straight away,” he said.

The vet explained how the simple act could be a serious sign of a health condition. 
The vet explained how the simple act could be a serious sign of a health condition.  Credit: @amirthevet

If your dog is feeling any sort of pain or discomfort, the vet said they would usually “lick to self-soothe”.

“So the constant licking of the paw is something we see in dogs with arthritis,” he said.

“They lick directly over the joint that’s causing them pain. So if you guys do have an older dog and they are constantly licking, they need to be on pain medication for arthritis.”

Finally, Anwary said the act can stem from behavioural reasons.

“Dogs often lick the top of their paws as a self-soothing behaviour and that can be they’re stressed out or if they’re anxious,” he explained.

“Dogs will also do this as a compulsive obsessive behaviour — meaning that they may have to be on behaviour modifying drugs which you can only get from your veterinarian.

“So it’s extremely important for all dog owners to recognise this is not a normal behaviour and do something about it because your dog is in discomfort.”

SOURCE: 7NEWS

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