Why does my pet lick his feet?

Licking and chewing of the paws is a common problem for our pets but it definitely shouldn’t be considered normal! Cats tend to pull at their toes nails and dogs like to lick in between their toes.

There can be many causes:

Allergies: This is a common cause of foot chewing. Ingestion of a food, contact with grasses or plants and inhalation of pollens are common causes of itchy skin (especially at this time of the year)

Parasites: mites can burrow into the skin and cause irritation and flea bites can cause generalised itching

Pain: licking to relieve pain caused by arthritis or the presence of a foreign body such as a grass seed

Boredom: just as people with anxiety might bite their nails, our pets can develop a physical response to psychological stress – some pets will develop an obsessive-compulsive disorder

Hormonal imbalances: thyroid disease and adrenal disease can lead to superficial skin infections and itchy skin

If your pet has itchy feet (or is itchy anywhere else) a consultation with us is essential to help improve their comfort levels – we have many things up our sleeve to help them feel better.