Paw Licking Obsession

[DesertHusky]

So Nacho is at it again. My delicate boy has yet ANOTHER issue coming up. (Poor little guy!) He is obsessively licking his paws. He’s done it before, and a vet told me it was allergies, but that vet knew nothing about huskies. However, with much internet research, I figured it’s not a bad idea to rule things out. He is on grain free food, we have eliminated chicken and gets a mostly fish and potato based diet. I noticed paw licking in the past and it decreased when removed the chicken from the diet. Before we saw the great improvement with Zinc supplementation, I assumed that all the coat issues he was having were allergies, too. Is it possible he has allergies and zinc deficiency and they are both working against him?  Last night the poor guy licked his paws all night. I’ve checked them out; no foreign bodies no sores, no rashes. I gave him a Benadryl because he was so intense on his licking and he finally seems calm and not obsessively licking today. I haven’t changed anything in his diet and he wasn’t obsessively licking earlier this year. Do you think it could be environmental? I noticed the increase in licking with the longer dog walk route. Could he be stepping on something he’s allergic to? Could it be something seasonal? It’s cooler in Phoenix now and so he’s spending so much more time in the back yard. Anyone experienced this before? 

He’s so darn sweet, it breaks my heart to see him so itchy!

[robke]

Thought about also removing potatoes out of the diet..does have a fair amount of starch in them...otherwise might be an idea to look into grass allergies...

[2Huskyfun]

I don’t allow mine on grass. Don’t know what  fertilizers maybe on it or what plants will cause issues.

My girl doesn’t “lick” her paws but she does suckle on them. That is why I am very careful where I walk them.

[chelseafan]

Food allergies are the usual culprits and secondary infections from yeast and bacteria exacerbate the behaviour.


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[Rachael_Astro]

Paw licking can also be down to stress, Koda was doing this when he had separation anxiety even when I was in the house


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[DesertHusky]

I think he’s allergic to something. This morning I noticed him scratching his muzzle. He’s now got a rash on his muzzle and has scratched it so it’s bleeding. We’ve scheduled an appointment with our vet. Poor baby. 

[chelseafan]

Hope you get it sorted, poor baby.


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[DesertHusky]

Update! We went to the vet and he’s definitely got definitely allergies. We are currently doing medication to get the itchiness under control. We saw improvement 1 day and now that it’s really in his system, Nacho is a different boy. He’s frisky, doing zoomies again and he’s NOT chewing and scratching. Phew!

Now the real issue: what is he allergic to? Everything, probably. He’s my delicate flower. I’m going to spend some quality time on the feeding threads here. Could be food. Could be environmental, too. Any suggestions are welcome. 

[2Huskyfun]

23 hours ago, DesertHusky said:

Update! We went to the vet and he’s definitely got definitely allergies. We are currently doing medication to get the itchiness under control. We saw improvement 1 day and now that it’s really in his system, Nacho is a different boy. He’s frisky, doing zoomies again and he’s NOT chewing and scratching. Phew!

Now the real issue: what is he allergic to? Everything, probably. He’s my delicate flower. I’m going to spend some quality time on the feeding threads here. Could be food. Could be environmental, too. Any suggestions are welcome. 

Happy to hear that the meds helped.

Mine are allergic to everything!!Food and  environment. Uggg

*this is just what I am doing for mine*

I started with food. My vet gave me a list to start with.

No chicken of any kind, wheat, grains, corn, dairy, yogurt, red meats of any kind, and carrots.

Cut all items out for 2 months. 

Then introduce one item one time. If they are truly allergic you will notice a reaction right away. If no reaction keep to that one for 2 weeks. If still no reaction then mostly that one is not it. 

If they start having a reaction, stop immediately and wait at least three weeks (or when no signs are present) before introducing another item from the list.

Keep doing this for every item. Or pay for the allergy test 🤑

Mine reacted within 24 hrs to chicken, carrots, pop corn 😞, yogurt, pretty much to all of them. Mine can only have fish and lamb at this point. Just tested turkey and they seem to be ok.

Been letting my pups into the backyard. ( my boy has a boo boo and can’t go for walks right now) The itching has flared up like crazy. I have not used anything on the grass. The girl has an actual rash on her belly. The boy has started chewing at his paw. 

When (they are healthy) I walk them I do not allow them on anyone’s grass, we stay on the streets. Looking into booties to see if that helps (and to protect their nails)

I also used Bitter Apple when the itching /chewing was insane. Apple Cider vinegar 50/50 with water to keep hot spots from happening (keeps away infection)

Hope your baby feels better soon.

[wolfpup]

Marley was food allergy tested  -  high positive to soya and high positive to potato.   Positive to wheat, corn, peas, carrots, sugar beet, rice and oats.   Soya is one of the worst and if you feed any sort of kibble make sure it contains none of this  -  also go easy on the potato  - its from the nightshade family.   To my certain knowledge Marley has not had soya since I got him at 12 weeks old   (was kibble fed beforehand)  -  because I raw feed from scratch  -  the vet said it must come from the food the meat was eating before it became Marley's dinner.   Marley has been on wild caught (specifically not farmed) white fish only for the last 2 weeks  -  vomiting has stopped, the bleeding ulcers have stopped bleeding.

[2Huskyfun]

2 hours ago, wolfpup said:

Marley was food allergy tested  -  high positive to soya and high positive to potato.   Positive to wheat, corn, peas, carrots, sugar beet, rice and oats.   Soya is one of the worst and if you feed any sort of kibble make sure it contains none of this  -  also go easy on the potato  - its from the nightshade family.   To my certain knowledge Marley has not had soya since I got him at 12 weeks old   (was kibble fed beforehand)  -  because I raw feed from scratch  -  the vet said it must come from the food the meat was eating before it became Marley's dinner.   Marley has been on wild caught (specifically not farmed) white fish only for the last 2 weeks  -  vomiting has stopped, the bleeding ulcers have stopped bleeding.

I am so happy to hear that he is doing much better. That was worrying. 

Yes soy and potatoes. I have noticed there is a lot of kibble that uses those. 

[DesertHusky]

So I double-checked the ingredients on his food. No potatoes and no soy. However, it does contain rice and oats. He never had a reaction to the food before and we’ve been on it for about a year, now. It’s so hard to know what he’s really allergic to. My vet recommended the current food we are on, but I might try a raw diet in the future if we find this is a food thing.

Thanks for all the advice. It makes me feel better knowing that other husky owners have their own little delicate pups, too. I seem to have 50/50 thing with my huskies; one perfectly healthy dog and another one that’s a sensitive little thing. I guess that’s just how things turn out. Good thing he’s totally worth it! 😀

[DesertHusky]

13 hours ago, wolfpup said:

Marley was food allergy tested  -  high positive to soya and high positive to potato.   Positive to wheat, corn, peas, carrots, sugar beet, rice and oats.   Soya is one of the worst and if you feed any sort of kibble make sure it contains none of this  -  also go easy on the potato  - its from the nightshade family.   To my certain knowledge Marley has not had soya since I got him at 12 weeks old   (was kibble fed beforehand)  -  because I raw feed from scratch  -  the vet said it must come from the food the meat was eating before it became Marley's dinner.   Marley has been on wild caught (specifically not farmed) white fish only for the last 2 weeks  -  vomiting has stopped, the bleeding ulcers have stopped bleeding.

I’m glad Marley is doing better. 🐾

[wolfpup]

6 hours ago, DesertHusky said:

So I double-checked the ingredients on his food. No potatoes and no soy. However, it does contain rice and oats. He never had a reaction to the food before and we’ve been on it for about a year, now. It’s so hard to know what he’s really allergic to. My vet recommended the current food we are on, but I might try a raw diet in the future if we find this is a food thing.

Thanks for all the advice. It makes me feel better knowing that other husky owners have their own little delicate pups, too. I seem to have 50/50 thing with my huskies; one perfectly healthy dog and another one that’s a sensitive little thing. I guess that’s just how things turn out. Good thing he’s totally worth it! 😀

Can you not get him food allergy tested- that way you will know exactly what is causing the problem   -    Marley cannot eat a meat that has eaten  the things he is allergic to   -   why not try your lad on wild caught white fish only for a week or two   -  just as I have had to do  -  then introduce one new meat at a time for say two weeks   -  if no reaction then try another one   -  you will soon know what he cannot tolerate.