My 10-year-old dog is chewing his paw and limping. What's the cause?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sunny may be licking his paw due to trauma or a wound that is painful - dogs can sometimes have pieces of grass or small twigs stuck between the toes. Infections or allergic reactions can also occur on the feet, either to a cleaning agent or certain foods. I recommend having Sunny seen by a vet as soon as possible to determine exactly what is going on, especially because he seems uncomfortable. His vet may recommend topical or oral antibiotics, foot soaks, or a diet change. I hope all is well!

Dogs over-lick for a few different reasons, so it's difficult to say what's causing it. Bobby may be over-licking the area because it's sore from an injury, has something like a thorn is stuck under the skin, or is infected. I think it will be fine to try and treat this at home for now (even though we don't know the cause), but would recommend a visit to the vet if: 1) It doesn't get better in 2 weeks 2) It starts to bleed or there is a break in the skin Here are my recommendations: 1) Wash/spray the area with just cool, clean water (no soap or other antiseptics) for at least 5 minutes at a time. Do this at least twice a day. 2) Ice the foot for 15 minutes once a day. 3) Tape a sock over the foot to prevent licking. You can also get some anti-lick sprays at the pet store to spray on the paw. Once the skin looks normal and/or Bobby stops trying to lick, you can stop the cleaning/bandaging. I hope that helps and Bobby gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hello. It does sound like possible allergies, which can start at any age, most commonly around 1-2 years of age. But we can see the presence of mange mites & nail bed infections too. To rule these out, you will need to see your veterinarian who can perform some skin scapes around the base of the nails & look under the microscope for the presence of mange mites. Oce the source of the irritation is found, the proper treatment can be started to stop the chewing. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Dogs may chew on their feet for a number of reasons. The most common of these is underlying allergies to either environmental or food allergens. Nearly anything can cause an allergic response, and these reactions in dogs typically lead to itching, which often manifests as chewing on or licking the feet. Other causes of foot chewing include foreign material in the paw pads or nail beds, infection in the skin or pads of the feet, problems with the toenails, pain, or obsessive behavioral issues. A trip to the veterinarian is best in order to examine your dog’s feet, perform any necessary diagnostic tests, and determine the best course of treatment. Allergy management strategies, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, or anxiety medication may be needed to help get your dog’s foot chewing under control. Finally, I suggest you check out [this article](https://www.petcoach.co/article/most-common-reasons-why-dogs-chew-their-paws/) for additional information about this common behavior.

This sounds like pododermatitis. ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pododermatitis-in-dogs ) The first thing you need to do is stop him from licking. No matter what you use to treat him with, this will not resolve as long as he continues licking. You will need to get him an Elizabethan (cone) collar until the feet are healed. I suggest you try these medicated wipes. If no improvement after treating for 10 days or so then he needs to go back to the vet for some testing. ( https://www.allivet.com/p-5393-douxo-chlorhexidine-3-ps-pads-for-dogs-and-cats-30.aspx?SearchTerm=duoxo%20pad+Auto )

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Bodie, it sounds as if he has had a rough three days. Bodie's lesions on his paw could certainly be related to an underlying environmental or food allergy that resulted in the development of a severe superficial and possible deep pyoderma, which can be difficult to treat if the bacteria present are resistant to normal antibiotics. Other potential causes could include fungal infections (depending on your location), and neoplasia (cancer). For lesions that do not respond to typical therapy with antibiotics and anti-itch medications (such as corticosteroids, Apoquel, Atopica), it may be necessary to perform a culture/sensitivity of the lesions to determine what type of bacteria present (if any) and what antibiotic it is sensitive to, or even a biopsy which could help rule-out certain fungal infections or neoplasia. I would recommend having Bodie re-evaluated by a veterinarian if the sores do not resolve to determine what the appropriate next step will be.