Miracle Cure for Paw Licking

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

Just wanted to pass this along.  Rooney has allergy issues and we give him a Zyrtec every day to help but it does not relieve his itchy paws.  We catch him licking his front feet and despite medicated wipes from the Vet - it continues to be a problem.  WELL GUESS WHAT?  I'm not sure why it works or how it works but it is amazing.  We were told by a friend that has a Irish Wolf Hound whose feet are usually licked raw that a breeder told them to dip the feet after being outside is a shallow bowl of LISTERINE - yep mouthwash.  I thought "what the heck can it hurt to try" and so I've been doing it for 2 days - AND NOT 1 LICK.  I have no idea if the smell stops him (his feet smell minty fresh - lol) or if the anti bacteria component in the mouthwash is providing some relief.  The friends have now moved their dog to a cheaper generic brand with the same great results.  Unless someone can tell me that this is not a good thing for the dog - I'm going to keep Rooney on his Listerine!  If you doodle has a foot licking issue - I'd love to hear if this works for you.  I just keep a 1/2 inch in a small Rubbermaid container - super easy.

[F, Calla & Luca]

This is interesting. I looked up the ingredients and since he's not licking I can't imagine that they would be harmful applied to the paws. The alcohol might dry the skin of the paw pads but that should not be a major problem.

The active ingredients listed on Listerine bottles are essential oils menthol 0.042%, thymol 0.064%, methyl salicylate 0.06%, and eucalyptol 0.092%. In combination all have an antiseptic effect and there is some thought that methyl salicylate may have an anti inflammatory effect as well^{[citation needed]}. Ethanol, which is toxic to bacteria at concentrations of 40%, is present in concentrations of 21.6% in the flavored product and 26.9% in the original gold Listerine Antiseptic^{[citation needed]}. At this concentration, the ethanol serves to dissolve the active ingredients.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

F - have you ever heard of someone doing this before?  I will watch for signs of dryness but I am only "dipping" twice a day - not after every trip outside and the LICKING - totally stopped!!!  We'd see him lick and tell him "no no" - he knew he shouldn't but he couldn't help himself.  I am amazed!!

[F, Calla & Luca]

No, I never heard of this.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I am wondering if any of those ingredients are also found in ACV :) OK, I am just being a smart a$$.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm going to trust F that the ingredients are not harmful if they do lick their feet, but I personally wouldn't try this. For one thing, it doesn't appear to contain anything temporarily relieves the immediate itching. I prefer the cortisone sprays which have a temporary anesthetic effect, or the ketochlor lotion recommended by JD's specialist. When dogs lick their feet raw, it's because an allergic histamine response is causing unbearable itching so intense that the dog ends up infecting himself franctically trying to get some relief. I've seen a severely allergic GSD try to chew his own paws off, and JD used to become frantic from the itching before we consulted a veterinary dermatology specialist and started his immunotherapy treatments. I think that for a dog with severe allergies, you need to address the underlying allergy issue and not just the symptoms, because without treatment, it does get worse as the dog gets older.  

But at any rate, I'm glad it's helping Rooney. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Well, this obviously grabbed my attention because of our licking issues here, but I was wondering the same thing about is it fixing the issue or just keeping him from licking?  My initial thought was is this sort of like when Mom used to tape socks on our hands when we had chicken pox so we wouldn't scratch them?  They still itched, we just couldn't scratch them.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

I hear what you are saying and I don't have an answer - all I know is that the licking has stopped - totally.  Also (and I've been keeping close watch) - Rooney isn't even sniffing at his feet - I just dip them, take a towel and dry a little bit and ZERO licking.  I can only guess at what Rooney is doing but he is just ignoring his feet like a normal dog (meaning without the allergies) does, which leads me to believe that the itching is relieved.  We have tried the cortisone spays - but they STING when applied and Rooney will lick it off.  Unless the Vet tells me NOT to do it - it is working for us.  Of course I appreciate and respect everyone's opinion.  It used to just hurt my heart to see Rooney lick, lick, lick so for us - it was worth trying.  Also the Irish Wolf hounds parents switched him from the minty flavor to the original - and are still getting the same results. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

To answer Sheri's question, nothing that you can apply topically can fix the issue. The problem is internal, in the blood stream. 

Jane, I do think it is a good idea to ask your vet about it. 

Believe me, it hurt my heart too to see JD lick his paws raw to the point of infection. That's why I consulted a specialist, and that has made all the difference in the world. I can't even remember the last time I saw him scratching or licking himself. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

All true. But Calla's scratching, which was overall, not her paws decreased dramatically since I started her on EPO and she gets it daily now. I think her worst time is fall but I give it year round. It may have some effect on the histaminic response, I have no clue. I just know empirically, for her, it has helped.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, there is clinical research that shows that the EPO does help the itching, especially when used in combination with antihistamines. The fatty acids in the EPO do have an anti-inflammatory effect. 

You're not using it topically, though. :-)

[F, Calla & Luca]

Yes. I heard a fascinating talk on the interconnections of obesity, inflammation and depression the other day. There is starting to be a lot of this kind of information backed by good science. Sometimes I get excited by it. And this all was about using large doses of methyl folate, a so called medical food. 

[Kyoko]

I was thinking may be it taste bad..?