How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Chewing His Paws?

How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Chewing His Paws?- We all know that dogs mostly used to chew their paws whenever they feel uncomfortable. The chewing of paws by the canine does not indicate any medical emergency.

However, as we are aware that it indicates the uneasiness of the canine, we should know the reason behind it to make the pet feel comfortable.

This is the reason why most dog owners ask for steps regarding how do I get my dog to stop chewing his paws?

It is quite difficult for a dog owner to stop this paw chewing behavior of the canine, as it can be due to many reasons like sudden pain, some bacterial infections, and many other issues. Thus, check out for any injury, infection, allergy, or any kind of dry skin.

Everything that can help you in obtaining knowledge regarding the steps to stop the paw chewing behavior of the dog will be discussed in this article. So please keep on reading the article to get the information.

Why Do Dogs Chew Their Paws?

It can be quite distressing for a dog owner to watch the canine friend continuously licking and chewing the paws. The owner can’t tackle this situation if he is not aware of the root of this problem.

To make the dog owner understand why the dogs used to chew their paws, we are going to discuss some of the common reasons behind it below.

Injury

We all know that dogs have a habit of licking the site of the injury in their body, as whenever a canine is used to lick the site of the injury in their body, it numbs the pain of the affected site and also soothes the discomfort.

It happens because when the dog licks the affected site, the brain gets overstimulated, as a result, numbs the pain. It is also suggested to the dog owner to check if the dog is struggling to place the paw on the ground, as it indicates that there is some serious problem with the paw.

Dry Skin

The epidermal layer of the skin always gets dry when the weather in the surrounding is in a tendency to change or is extremely cold.

The dry skin of the canine causes severe irritation and discomfort, due to which they begin to chew the site of the affected area as the skin biting reduces the itchiness to a bit.

Allergies

Sometimes the fungal bacteria or severe pathogens get trapped in the paw of the canine, which, after remaining there for a longer period, leads to the cause of a certain allergic infection in the dog’s paw. Thus making the canine chew and bite his paws.

Anxiety

Just like humans used to bite their nails when they got anxious, dogs also used to bite or chew their paws out of anxiousness. This happens because biting the paws helps the canine soothe their anxious mind.

Yeast Infection

If the dog gets yeast infections on its paws, then the paws appear red and cause severe irritation and itchiness to the paws, thus making the canine chew the paws.

Contact Dermatitis

Contact dermatitis is a type of disease where the dog’s skin suffers from certain bacterial and fungal pathogens. The most probable cause behind contact dermatitis in dogs is a flea allergy, food allergy, contact allergy, and allergy to bacterial flora.

These are the most common causes behind the paw chewing behavior of dogs. So if a dog owner is looking for the causes behind this unpleasant behavior of dogs, then they can go through the points mentioned above to treat the dog for that particular disease.

How Do I Get My Dog To Stop Chewing His Paws?

Now, as we have discussed all the probable causes behind the paw-licking behavior of dogs, so treating diseases will be the most efficient method to stop the dog from chewing his paws.

The steps a dog owner can follow to stop the canine from chewing his paws are discussed below.

Treat the Dog for Injury

If the dog is licking his paws due to a severe injury, the first step the owner can take is to treat the pet for that injury. If the issue is not that serious, it can be cured at home.

The steps that a dog owner can follow to treat the injury of the dogs are gently removing the stuck dirt material from the gaps of the paws, washing the paws with soap, and wrapping the paw with a bandage to stop the dog from licking.

The removal of the parasites will make the place fungus resistant, and the bandage will prevent the paw from getting further affected by the bacteria. Thus the injury will get treated properly.

Treat the Dog for Allergies 

If you have detected that the canine is licking the paw due to allergies or allergic infections, then proper treatment is necessary. The allergic infections in dogs can only be treated through proper medications, as medications prescribed by the vet will destroy the allergies to the cellular level.

The vets commonly used to prescribe medicines such as Antihistamines, Nasal Corticosteroids, Cromolyn Sodium, Decongestants, and Leukotriene modifiers. These medicines are prescribed based on the strength of the immune system.

The medicines mentioned above are used to destroy the allergens by not leaving any chance for their regeneration, reduce the itchiness, and thus stop the dog from licking the paws.

Similarly, suppose the dog owner has detected the cause behind the paw licking of dogs to be a certain type of disease like dry skin, dermatitis, etc. In that case, they can simply treat the dog for that disease as mentioned above or can also go to a vet for a proper cure of the disease.

 Instead of going through the treatment of every cause behind the discomforts in the dog’s paws. We will discuss some simple steps a dog owner can follow to prevent the dog from licking his paws. 

Determine the Cause Behind the Licking of Paws

The first step a dog owner can take is to determine the cause behind the irritation in the paws. If the dog owner has noticed that the dog is chewing his paws more than unusual, then they have to take the pet to a vet. Or, if the licking of paws is due to normal allergic infections, then they can treat the disease at home.

Change the Diet

As we have discussed above, the dog may feel uncomfortable due to digestive issues. The problem with the stomach’s digestive system makes the pet suffer through various discomforts and leads to anxiousness, due to which the dog chews his paws. So a dog owner can also go with some dietary changes if the reason behind the licking of the paws is an upset stomach.

Regular Bathing

Most of the time, the dog used to lick their paws due to the dirt trapped in the paws. If the owner introduces a regular bathing frequency in the dog’s schedule, then the dirt particles will not get any more chance to get trapped in the paws of the dog and form germ layers one after another.

Thus a regular bathing frequency can also stop the dog from licking his paws as the germs that are making the dog lick will get removed. The owner is suggested to use a sharply pointed material to properly remove the trapped dirt particles.

Protect the Feet of the Canine

Now we all are aware of the fact that the licking of the dog’s paws is all because of injuries and allergies in the dog’s paws. So if we cover the dog’s paws to protect it from further allergies and injuries, then the licking of paws can be stopped easily.

The use of fabric socks that are comfortable for the canine can be used whenever the dog goes outside, as this will protect the dog’s paws from getting affected by the allergens pervading all around.

Make a Peaceful Environment All-Around

Sometimes outdoor noises can be the most probable reason behind the paw licking behavior of dogs. The sounds of vehicles from the outside and the loud noises from neighbors are a source of anxiousness to the canine.

To introduce a peaceful environment around the canine, all the owner has to do is just shift the dog to a room where the sound comes less and play some peaceful music to make the dog feel relaxed; following these few steps will calm the anxiousness of the dog, and thus the dog will also stop licking his paws.

Visit the Vet

If you still feel like that your pet is still having some underlying problems, then we recommend you to visit the vet for a confirmed checkup.

Sometimes, it is possible that your pet is having some emotional and psychological issue, and that’s why they are chewing their paws to ease themselves.

So here we are done with the entire article and have discussed all the information that can help you complete your search regarding how do I get my dog to stop chewing his paws.

We hope that the information discussed in the article has cleared all your doubts regarding the matter. Thanks for staying till the end with us and reading the whole article.

Aapt Dubey
Aapt Dubey

Aapt Dubey, a devoted canine enthusiast and experienced dog Owner, brings boundless passion to our team. With a heart full of love for our four-legged friends, Aapt is dedicated to sharing insights on dog care, behavior, and training to make every pup's life happier and healthier at ItsAboutDog.com.

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