Why is my dog's back foot twitching, painful, and chewing on it?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! So sorry that Chico is having this issue. Tremors can be due to many different underlying causes and honestly, there are many times we cannot find an underlying cause. If this is a one time thing then I suggest you monitor him and if it happens again, get a video and then make an appointment with your vet. It may never happen again. It is hard for me to comment much without seeing what he is actually doing. My first thought is that it could be a pinched nerve. Other options: * focal seizure * muscle pain/injury * something that is irritating his skin in that area You know him best so if you are truly worried then there is no harm in taking him to your vet now for an exam. Often times it is better to be safe than sorry. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sorry to hear this happened to Scrappy. Did you check the bottom of his foot to see if there is a sticker or splinter in his paw? If not, please check that. If you don't see anything there I suggest you just rest him for a few days to see if the symptoms resolve/improve. If not, then get him to your vet for an exam. I am a bit worried based on your description that he may have injured his cruciate ligament in his knee. He wouldn't necessarily show pain when you move the leg. You need your vet to manipulate the knee is a certain fashion to check for this type of injury. There is no harm in giving it a few days to see if it resolves. He could just have a mild sprain/strain. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

When a dog chews on a joint or a leg, there is usually either an itch, irritation or pain involved. If you are doing flea and tick prevention, you can pretty much rule out a flea problem. This is likely pointing to either joint pain or possibly an active mass irritating your dog. Unfortunately it is not possible to see a lot on the photo, other than that your dog has been chewing on his leg for a while. I suggest you make an appointment with your vet for an exam. He will likely want to shave the area so he can examine the skin properly and palpate the bone and other structures. depending on the findings, he may also want to do an xray to see if there is bone or joint involvement.

It looks like he might have chewed a hot spot onto his foot. It may have started with a minor scratch or bug bite or allergies. That itched, he chewed it, which irritated the area, which makes it itch more, and so on. I recommend getting him seen by your vet soon to have his skin checked. After an exam and possibly some lab work, your vet will have a better idea what is going on and how best to treat it.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Crash. If he comes inside licking the paw, I worry about an insect bite or sting or something stuck in his paw such as a piece of plant material like you mentioned. If he is just holding the leg up, the pain could be from higher up in the limb. He could have been excited at the veterinary appointment which allows the adrenaline to over ride the pain he is likely experiencing at home. Is it always the same leg? Some puppies will experience lameness that shifts legs as they grow. If no pain was found in his leg, he could be experiencing neck pain. This can radiate down the leg causes referred pain. If it continues, he should be re-evaluated and may need x-rays to determine the cause of his pain. I hope this information helps!

Dogs who have neurologic pain to their appendages or if they have a numb type sensation will often cause themselves extreme self trauma. I would highly encourage you to discuss using the medication Gabapentin with your veterinarian. This can be really good for neurologic pain/sensations. Also, using a basket muzzle or an e-collar will prevent him from chewing when you can not supervise him. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Poor Reggie. He may have injured himself and he sounds like he is in pain if he whines when you touch the area. I'd have him seen by a vet today for this. The vet can diagnose what is causing this red area and can treat him. Best of luck.