HELP! My dog keeps biting and l*****g his feet!?

Question

HELP! I have a maltese who is 5 years old he always licks and bites his legs and feet. I dont now what it is? or what i should do?

Answer 1

He's allergic to something - here's my itchy dog answer - email me if you need more help:

First. rinse him every day with tepid, not warm water.

That will remove anything that is causing a contact allergy - pollen, dust, grass ...

Make sure he has Frontline on, to ward off fleas.

Next, switch him carefully over to a 2 ingredient diet.

The top food allergens are corn, chicken,beef,soy, wheat, and dairy, but dogs can be allergic to just about anything.

Sometimes you can get away with just putting them on something like Nutro lamb & rice - you mighttry that first, just to see if it'll be that easy. Wellness has a very good line of hypoallergenic foods, and a bunch dogs have found relief with Atlantic Whitefish & Sweet potato (of course my dog is the only one in the world that is allergic to sweet potato!)...

You may have to resort to feeding a two ingredient diet - if the kibble doesn't work, pick two ingredients and feed them exclusinvely in their original form - like fish and oatmeal, say - so you actually know what the dog is eating. Jack Mackeral comes in a nice big can at the supermarket.

A couple weeks on that kind of diet won't hurt him, and if you find that is necessary too continue, you can look on www.BalanceIt.com for a recipe tool that will help you balance it for him, and Rx vitamins with no additives that will round out the diet so it's a good long term one.

Remember that any other treats - like beef bones, rawhide, or pig's ears - are the wrong food, and will cause a reaction if that's what he's allergic to, so cut those all out, and no table scraps, either. Chewable heartworm tablets are usually beef based, so you would also need the ones that aren't - there are some, I don't remember the name...

Speak to your vet about giving his some fish oil - omega 3 is a powerful anti-inflammatory, and only a food - but you must take into consideration whether your dog is susceptible to pancreatitis. Most healthy dogs are fine, but little dogs can get into trouble with smaller amounts of stuff - but it is a really good thing or dogs with any kind of skin problem, and a very easy fix.

Good luck, this is a tough problem to solve - but not impossible. But this is the way the top veterinary dermatologist in the US does it - and I have used it sucessfully on many dogs.

Answer 2

This behavior is often associated with vaccines.  There is a group here at yahoo.com called The Truth about Vaccines.  Check it out....

Answer 3

Could be a skin irritation or allergy.  Best to just get a vet to give him a quick look and see if there's something you can do to get him some relief.

Good luck.

Answer 4

I would guess an allergy, probably due to grain in his food.  If you aren't feeding him a premium brand of food with low to zero grain (like wheat and corn), get some and gradually mix it in with his present food and you will likely see a vast difference.

Answer 5

dry skin or fleas-  that is an animals way of scratching.  have your vet give you some ointment or try some of your dry skin lotion. you can also give it raw egg a day or a tablespoon of cooking oil

Answer 6

Probably allergies. And most probably to the flea bite. Could be food, but more likely the flea.

There is a great flea treatment on the market now- its a once per month pill called "comfortis". Its about $15 per pill but well worth it.  

Answer 7

I would start by changing her feed to something similar to the previous post, low low grain or no grain.  Starting with a little amount of new food replacing old food and slowly increasing until completely switched over.  My lab mix has yeast allergies and this is a common problem with yeast allergies and since we switched his food, no more itching, all hair has grown back in and no more ear infections.

A great web site which explains symptoms and fixes is

http://www.greatdanelady.com/articles/al...

she really explains alot and has changed my dogs quality of life!

Good luck!

Answer 8

These are very common signs of skin allergies. Maltese's are hypoallergenic dogs and they typically suffer more from skin allergies.

Take him to his vet and they can prescribe meds to help suppress the itch that's causing him to l**k and chew at his feet. I also recommend getting an e-collar (cone) to prevent him from having access to his feet. He is damaging them more by l*****g and chewing them.

Answer 9

May be a critter being picked up from outside when he/she goes for a walk... Or a fungas in between the toes...

If you are looking for organic / homeopathic (natural) pet products go to www.sandycreeksoap.etsy.com they’re awesome! They have an essential oil spray (in tons of scents - you pick) for deodorizing, a special "critter crazy" spray to keep fleas off with citronella and lemon grass, etc. in it - and special bar soaps for pets too. Some with oatmeal for soothing skin conditions, some with essential oils like citronella for keeping off the fleas, etc. PS - If you are looking for other "handmade" pet stuff, check out www.thegreenbone.etsy.com also has organic pet TREATS! YUM