My dog keeps chewing his red, sore paw. When should I see a vet?

Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about Panda. Poor boy! Those do look really red and irritated. Biting the paws non-stop can be a classic sign of allergies. It could also be due to an infection or injury to the paws. He should see a vet for this to get it diagnosed and treated. Tonight, try soaking his paws in an Epsom salt bath to see if that helps. Put a cone on him to keep him from biting the paws and making things worse. If you don't have one, I can put a link below on how to make one at home. I hope this helps! http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html

Ouch! That looks pretty uncomfortable. I would take him in to see your vet for wound care and possibly antibiotics or a topical treatment to help him heal as quickly as possible. My may have gotten a sting or stepped on something sharp enough to puncture his pad and if he chews too aggressively, he'll make it worse.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Licking and chewing of the paws is a sign of allergies and it can become an infection (pododermatitis) which can be caused by bacteria and yeast. I have success treating with an antibiotic and an antifungal for 3 weeks. I also start my patients on apoquel and an antihistamine to control the licking and biting. I would also recommend considering changing her diet. Chicken is the most common allergic protein. You can find over the counter diets with venison, duck or fish. She can no have any treats that aren't made out of the protein or table scraps. You have to give the diet 2-3 months. Sometimes the pet needs a prescription diet. I would call your Vet or have her rechecked to see if these medications are appropriate to try on Leia

It sounds like something is really bothering Panda on her paws. You need to take her into your vet to find out why she is doing this. It could be allergies, a foreign body stuck in her paw (like a grass seed or foxtail), mange, or ringworm. For her to chew on her paw so much that it's bloody and red says that it is really bothering her, and she needs to see a vet as soon as possible to get relief. She will likely need antibiotics to treat the paw if there's infection, and an Ecollar to stop her from chewing it. She will need the underlying cause to be treated in order to stop the behavior completely.

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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Just like you indicated, this could be due to a foreign body getting stuck in the digit though other things like a deep infection or even a growth cannot be ruled out. It could even be secondary to her licking at it. For this reason, it is important to rule those out. I recommend a visit to your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and treat accordingly. Good luck and have a great day!

This could be a small puncture wound or abrasion your dog got outside. If he is not licking it or limping on it, just keep it clean and dry and it should heal on its own within a few days. If however it seems to be bothering your dog or persists for more than about 3 days you should probably have it checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.