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My dog has scabby paws and won't stop licking. Is it allergies?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 5 years and 1 month old | 6 lbs

Hi I have noticed that my dog has scabby paws not sure if its from an elergic reaction to something or something else. We have a sixth month old and not sure it's related to stress of him crying etc. We have been giving him regular baths with no improvement. He's constantly wanting to lick them too. Thanks

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Lotus Altholtz

Veterinarian, Board-Certified Lab Animal Medicine Specialist

Published on January 23rd, 2019

It looks like Archie does have a skin infection of his paws that would likely benefit from prescription Simplicef (oral antibiotics for the skin), a 2 week course of Apoquel (a non-steroidal allergy medication, an e-collar as well as dose of one of the newer oral flea/tick preventatives that also treats mange such as NexGard, Simparica or Bravecto. An e-collar for a week plus a medicated antibacterial/antifungal shampoo such as Malaseb for the paws would be helpful as well. It may have started from paw licking from stress or from environmental allergies leading to a secondary bacterial and/or yeast infection of the paws. Your vet can do a skin scrape to try to rule out mange, or switch him to NexGard to see if it resolves the lesions. Congrats on your new baby and good luck!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Elizabeth
Veterinarian
That does not look normal and I do not suspect it is stress related. I recommend to have Archie seen by his veterinarian. The doctor will check for infection and may recommend testing for ringworm (which humans can get). There are some autoimmune diseases that can also present like this. It’s best to get this addressed before it gets worse. Best of luck!
Please feel free to post any additional questions.
0Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on February 8th, 2020
Yes, you can speak to Lola's vet about medication. Typically this paw licking is a sign of allergies, and this can be treated with something like Apoquel or Cytopoint. Make an appointment with her vet.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Ann Dion, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on April 1st, 2017
Hello. I am sorry to hear that Archie isn't doing well. What you are describing could either be stress, or more likely allergies. If there is redness and swelling I would suggest a visit to the vet to get medications to relieve his pain, and a check-up to see if it looks like allergies could be the cause, and medications for this. Good luck with Archie!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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