Licking His Feet

[lonewolf07]

Our almost three year old shih tzu is still licking his feet.  We took him to the vet who said there was no fungal infection but that the dog probably was allergic to or bothered by something outside - like grass.  He gave us antibiotics and the dog no longer licks his back feet, just his front feet.  I want to take him back to be looked at again.

In the meantime, is it possible for a dog to have a "psychological" reason for licking his feet?  He eats well, drinks well, is active, plays with the other dogs and has a really good temperament.  We're even training him to be a therapy dog.  But this foot licking thing - does he have a behavior problem or "issues"?  (I'm not kidding).  I hate seeing him licking his feet all the time.

[Soon_to_be_DVM]

I would go with allergies as well.  You can get a spray to put on his feet from your vet.

[lonewolf07]

I'll mention the spray to the vet.  He was on meds for allergies and stopped licking his back feet and began with the front ones.  At the time, the vet didn't see anything wrong with the front feet.  Just hope he isn't a compulsive licker - the dog, not the vet.

[teko]

Check to make sure there is no hair matting between the pads of his feet. Lots of times when a dog goes out and gets there feet wet etc, and the hair on the pads of their feet is not cut way down, it will tangle and mat there and between the toes. Also keep the nails cut down. Hope this helps

[ddeiman]

Try to wash the paws with a shampoo like hexadene, chlorhexiderm etc at night before bed. Really lather it up and let is sit for 5 mins then rinse. I'd also wipe paws off with baby wipes or at least a wet paper towel after every outside trip. My coonhound get itchy paws but with constant wiping and cleaning we avoid any flare ups and never even need the antihistamines. Good luck

[lonewolf07]

Thank you for the suggestions.  I will try them all.