You Just Want to Scream "Stop Licking Your Feet !"
July 11, 2008
No I am not talking about your feet or some strange behavior. I am talking about the constant chewing and and/or licking your dog does to his feet. For some reason, this behavior becomes even more intense after midnight as the dog lays at the foot of your bed licking and chewing as you try to sleep. You use your foot to nudge your dog to put a stop to the behavior and it stops. Thank goodness! Now you can go to sleep. Just as you are falling to sleep your dog is chewing and licking at his feet again. It is enough to drive a person crazy.
If you are shaking your head and asking what am I talking about, you have been lucky not to experience a common problem in small breed dogs. Although this is not a small dog, this problem is also fairly common in Labs. These dogs do not have a compulsive behavior which requires a shrink. They have a fairly common problem in a different form from many of us - allergies. As the dog walks around outside in the grass, pollens and other small particles are trapped on the skin between the toes. This is even more severe if the grass is wet from dew or watering. The skin between the toes is sensitive and begins to react. Dogs begin to lick and bite creating further irritation,often creating bacterial and yeast infections in these areas as well. This becomes a vicious cycle.
There are a number of medications that can be used to treat these dogs. Some of them are injections and oral products that can have unpleasant side affects. However a few simple things that can be done at home may reduce this problem. One of the best is doggie footwear. Yes, you can order footwear for your dog. While most pet owners are not keen on putting footwear on their dog, those who use this method are very happy with it.
Another method acceptable to most pet owners is cleaning between the toes when the dog comes in from outside. One of my favorite products for cleaning between the toes is Malaseb pledgets. They come as 60 individual pads. Malaseb pledgets are designed with multi-functional surfactants (softening agents) and are specially designed for topical application, allowing gentle cleansing as well as wide ranged anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity. The process is simple. Wipe affected area thoroughly with the pledget; distract the dog for several minutes following treatment to prevent licking. Each pledget should be used once and discarded.
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