Posted on 11/16/2025 1:52:37 PM PST by Mean Daddy
My yellow lab has been obsessive about chewing the top portion of his back, right paw. The only thing working is a cone with a 3" extension but he keeps plowing into things.
We've tried bandaging, salmon oil on his food, probiotics, topical creams, wipes etc. but nothing outside of the cone is working on keeping him from getting at his back foot.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
Our dog licks its front paws obsessively. I think it’s self comfort. She’s been doing it all her life.
I went through this with my dog. It is a food allergy. Switch brands immediately and make sure the ingredients are not the same.
I had a lab.
He knows it bothers you and he’s just trying to bust your chops.
I should have mentioned we took him to the vet about 6-8 weeks ago and he thought the were seasonal and we’ve been giving him Claritan and Benadryl twice a day with no luck. Thanks for replying.
My sons FIL who trains dogs thought the same. I walk him 40 minutes a day regardless of weather but may need to increase his activity.
About 40 minutes, mile and a half a day regardless of weather.
He has chew toys but may work on them for a few minutes. Chew bones gives him the runs unfortunately.
We bought a bottle of salmon oil that I’m trying right now. Took him for a bath today and his shedding seems to have improved.
We’ve tried this several times with little or no luck. I just bought some canned dog food my son’s FIL recommended but won’t try until we’re done with the salmon oil. The canned dog food is for sensitive skin and we’ll try mixing half a can in with one cup of his kibble to see if he likes it. Never run into anything he won’t eat.
I’ll look into that. One thing I haven’t read about or suggested. Thank you.
“I’ll look into that. One thing I haven’t read about or suggested. Thank you.”
Places like Petco, PetSmart, and Costco sell raw meat for dogs but in the long run they can become expensive for large dogs. There should be meat processors in your area that sell raw meat for dogs at a lower cost.
The principal difference between raw meat for dogs and humans is dog food raw meat have ground bone in them. You definitely don’t want to cook the raw meat with bone. It’s like giving ground glass to your dog.
If not, then your dog should bite you in your ass........
It could be a nerve/spinal issue. My pug would bite at her back paws before a tumor was discovered on her shoulder blade, which then went into the spine and she lost control of her back legs. The test the vet did was to have her stand on all fours, and then would turn her back foot underneath her, so she was putting weight on the top of the foot. If she didn’t immediately flip the foot over and put the paw flat on the table to correct it, it indicated nerve damage. She didn’t…she paused about a full second before turning her foot over. I lost her to cancer about six weeks later, when she lost control of both back legs. Heartbreaking. I hope this is not the case for your pup.
You already took your dog to the vet, right? That should be the first step.
My BIL had a border collie which is uncontrollable each time it eats kibble. As a carnivore (me, not the dog), I told him to feed it with what I eat (animal based like meat, fish, eggs, no plants) and avoid kibble which has too much carbohydrates to be a proper diet for dogs (for humans too, but it’s just me, lol).
It resolved its behavior problem instantly. Now that we have the real diagnostic, it’s amazing to see the effect of carbs on that dog. It can go crazy in a heartbeat like a switch after eating carbs like a banana or a candy. And it loves carbs, which is why it was so hard to make the right diagnostic in the first place.
So if your dog’s problem is nutrition, maybe avoid kibbles and see if that’s of any help.
You can buy raw meat at the grocery store. I feed my hunting dogs turkey necks. And when we bag birds they get the remains after we get the prime parts. Cheaper than Purina. Purina is not good for dogs and is suspect in origin.
Here’s what has worked for my family, whenever the dog comes back inside, wipe down the dog’s paws with a dampened papertowel. Here, it was seasonal grass allergies...especially when grass is seeding. That has worked for my parent’s dogs, my dogs, and my son’s dogs.
My son’s FIL suggested whitefish and salmon. After we’re done with the salmon oil, I bought some canned dog with both. Called Authority brand.
I think a lot of times they need to be challenged and walking doesn’t provide that. Maybe hide little snacks around the house and challenge him to find them
That’s interesting as having just being diagnosed as Type II myself. My son’s FIL talked about a can of salmon and adding chopped veggies. I may try that as well.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.