Chewing on Feet

[clancy's mom]

I have two concerns. Clancy is constantly chewing on his feet -- he has webbed feet, if that makes a difference. He either chews on the tops of them, or sometimes turns them over and chews on the bottoms. He doesn't do himself any harm, but he gets his feet wet, wet, wet and it drives us crazy when we are sitting quietly and he is chewing on them. Any suggestions? I have tried giving him primrose oil and fish oil, thinking it might be an "itchy" thing, but that didn't help any.

Also, he has started to get up in the middle of the night and wants to go out. He is 2-1/2 and has been really good about sleeping through the night for a long time. My husband lets him out about 11:00 (we have electric fencing, so he just goes out and does his thing and then barks to come back in), and then around 2-3 a.m., he goes to the back door and barks to go out. I have tried just ignoring him and not getting up and letting him out, but he continues to bark and sounds so pitiful that I finally relent and get up and let him out. He will stay out anywhere from 10 minutes to 40 minutes (last night) and then bark to come back in. Sometimes I will just get back up after he has been out for awhile and when I open the door he is laying on the back porch. I tell him to come in, and he does. Does anyone have any idea why he has started this new habit? If I took him out on a leash and just had him "do his business" and then took him right back in, do you think that would solve it? He doesn't do it every night, but pretty often.

[clancy's mom]

I tried Benadryl, but I only gave him one 25 mg. tablet -- he weights about 85 lbs. Maybe I didn't give him enough? I am always afraid of over-medicating -- don't want to turn him into a zombie, but I sure would like to give him some relief.

[clancy's mom]

I guess that would be too easy -- call the vet. :) I have called them so much about his ear problems and his red eyes, they probably think I am a crazy woman!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Red eyes, chewing feet, and itching in Spring or fall are classic symptoms of inhalant allergies, and your vet should recognize that. There are other anithistamines besides Benadryl that can be more effective for this, also the EFA's in the form of fish oil or primrose oil capsules are good (500 mg 3x/day), but you need the guidance of a vet who is experienced in inhalant allergies. Do not guess, do not try home remedies from well-meaning friends on-line, and do not believe anyone who tells you that it has anything to do with his food. He is very uncomfortable and needs help. The itching that is causing him to chew his feet can & will lead to skin infections if it isn't treated. Trust me on this one. Schedule a visit with the vet, and if he/she doesn't recognize these issues, get another vet. Good luck.

[GBK]

Both of mine start licking and chewing feet come spring, must be allergic to the same stuff as me :( It gets better as we move into Summer.

It used to be that they both slept through the night, now, my husband has gotten them in the habit of going out when he gets up in the middle of the night for his potty break :0 Buddy starts on my side of the bed and when he can't get me up will go to my husband. Hubby accuses me of ignoring Buddy when he does this, but I am a very sound sleeper, honest!

(sometimes though, I do tell Buddy to "go get his daddy" hey, I didn't start with the middle of the night trips!)

[clancy's mom]

Clancy sleeps with us (if you can picture that -- 85 lbs. of dog and two "not so small senior citizens" in a queen size bed). So he just gets down and goes to the back door and starts barking. I wish I were a sound sleeper because my other half sleeps right through it and I end up being the one getting up. Brings back memories of having babies -- but I was much younger then.

[MBKANE]

many dogs chew the bottom of their feet b/c they are actually trimming the hair b/w their pads. I had 2 labs who did this quite often (we never had to trim the hair ourselves b/c they took care of it). Kensi doesn't really do it, but it might be something to consider.