Biting habit

[Ronnie & Emma]

Hi fellow doodle owners,

Emma has been chewing her paws whenever she seems to be left alone. One of hind legs has a bit of an abrasion.. I'm thinking it is from the chewing. Do your doodles bite on their paws too?

Emma has been going through a bit of a transition. I just moved in with my husband and it is day 4 for emma.  When I go out , I leave her with parents and then i pick her up. I don't know if that would confuse her on where is her real home. Would his contribute to the biting / chewing habit?

thanks

[Deeann Roesser]

Sometimes dogs will chew on thier feet because of allergies. Chicken can be one cause due to all the additives they put in them. Try taking all chicken out of her diet. Good luck!

[Ronnie & Emma]

Deeann , there is apparently chicken in her kibbles. Im going to switch to something else after she is done with this bag. thanks for the tip !

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm thinking it could be that her paws are itchy....if that's the case you can try wiping them with a Baby Wipe when you come inside.  It could also be from stress or even boredom.  My Murphy will sometimes lap his paws when he's nervous, and I verbally correct him and redirect him with a toy or throwing a soft ball for him to chase. 

[Ronnie & Emma]

thanks !! i will give that a try ! !!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Ronnie, it may not be a "chewing habit". This is the time of year when seasonal allergies are the worst, and biting or licking the paws is the most common symptom. Dogs have histamine receptors in their feet, and they itch badly. If you don't do something to relieve it, they will develop hot spots and infections.

Here are some tips on what you can do:

For temporary relief of inhalant allergies, here are some things that you can do:

Give Omega 3 fatty acid supplements. You want the Omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA, which are only found in fish. You can also give GLA in the form of evening primrose oil supplements. In both cases, use human softgel supplements. 

If you feed dry dog food, check the Omega 6:3 ratio. You want a ratio of 5:1 or less, the lower the better, and the Omega 3 content should come from fish.

Give antihistamines. Different antihistamines are more effective for different dogs. Typically, you want second generation antihistamines that do not cause drowsiness, like Claritin, Zyrtec, Atarax, etc. rather than Benadryl.

Use OTC anti-itch sprays on the affected areas. These are available at most pet supply stores.

Wipe the dog down every time he comes in from outside, paying particular attention to the feet. Brush the dog daily.

Keep the indoor areas where the dog spends the most time as clean and dust free as possible. Wash bedding weekly, wash food & water bowls daily. Vacuum as often as possible.

Keep dry foods in air-tight storage containers and don;t buy more than you can use in a month unless you can freeze it. 

If the feet are affected, you can soak them in tepid water with epsom salts. Be sure to dry thoroughly afterwards.

Bathe the dog often, weekly if possible, with a shampoo formulated for allergic dogs. (I like Douxo Calm). Do NOT use leave-in conditioners or other grooming products. Use a cool dryer setting or air-dry. 

As much as I hate doing it, keeping windows closed really helps with pollen allergies. Run the A/C in warm weather especially, the allergy symptoms are exacerbated by humidity. Use a furnace filter with a high allergen rating and change it monthly. 

Read more here: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum/topics/some-basic-facts-about?gro...

[Ronnie & Emma]

Thanks Karen !  Emma eats Canadian naturals and from the looks of it the omega 6:3 ratio is not that bad. She actually does rub her face a bit when she returns from a walk. So i think i should wipe her paws well with baby wipes then. I usually just use a wet cloth to wipe her paws. My vet just told me to wash her paws with mild shampoo and dry with gold bond powder. It does help a bit. Once she is by herself, she starts doing it again. 

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I would definitely give her an anthistamine. You should notice some relief very quickly. Check the dosages and best ones to use in the medical group or from Karen. Benadryl is not that effective, try one of the newer generation ones suitable for dogs. I wouldn't worry about the food for now, it's only a 10% chance if it is allergies that it has anything to do with what she eats.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree.