Biting Feet

[ms533]

My 3 yr old Rottie will bite and lick the bottem of her feet until she starts to whin from it hurting. (there is 2 feet inparticular she chews on) there is nothing in her paws or feet except sores from her chewing, i have taken her to the vet for this before and they gave me 2 weeks worth of anitbiotic that cost $80.00, it did dot the trick but after a few months shes starting doing it again, is there anything i can give her or do for her to help instead of having to pay for those expensive pills?? oh she also licks her private areas too alot, continusely, could it be shes bored??? or is it just become habit

[fullhouse9873]

Did the vet check her for any allergies?

[ms533]

the vet said that there is so many diff. things that it could be ( allergy wise) and if they did an allergy test that they still might not be able to find out what it is, i would need to know what she was around,ate, came in contact to,that led her to her obsessive chewing.

[weimlover]

Wow, I wish I had an answer for you. Good luck!!!! I know my weim breaks out on his belly when he chews on pigs ears. (which I never give him anyway, my sister gave him one)

[weimlover]

Maybe something in your lawn is irratating the paws?????
A chemical or something?

[bearsmom]

Have you changed food recently? It could be a food allergy. It's not uncommon for dogs to be allergic to soybeans, corn, and wheat. The chewing on paws is one of the textbook symptoms of allergies in dogs.

What's changed since before she started doing this? I'd start by eliminating stuff like that.

Good luck!

[southerngroomer]

I had a dog that constantly licked her paws. The vet said it was a fungus (like athelete's foot in humans), and gave me some anti-fungal cream to apply to her paws. This helped immensely! Good luck to you!

[BabyElephant]

I have just read in one of my books that obsessive licking - which can can cause skin inflamation and hair loss - is called "lick granuloma". Apparently this exaggerated grooming disorder responds well to anti-anxiety drugs. Not sure if helps but it might be worth speaking to your vet about.

[Dax]

I have heard of this in rotti's. One male (about 7 yrs old) - his owner did not take him outside in really cold weather so his paws did not get callused. Then the next winter - he got frostbite. Since then the paws are really senstive and require bootties.

Could also be boredom - the excess licking actually creates the sores/problems. AS soon as the dog starts - why not try cleaning the area with soap and water. Apply an anti chew lotion like bitter. Then work on redirecting the behavior to a kong filled with treats. This way you can tell if the licking is the problem or a reaction to the problem.

[erdog3]

Acral lick as Baby Elephant suggested was my first thoughts here, it is an anxiety disorder, common in certain breeds.
Try getting some socks to cover her feet to prevent her licking them when she starts up.
What happens is they lick the area for so long that an actual sore develops, then that sore in turn becomes infected, hence the response to anitibiotics.
If she does this continually, you have no option but to turn to the antibiotics everytime as it is a whole new infection again.
I would try and treat for stress/anxiety..using a distraction, kong filled with peanut butter is a great alternative to lick.