Dog won’t stop biting her paws

[lazy gardener]

I give my dog an egg every day. When I first got her, she was often scratching herself. Never any fleas, and she is prone to the "itchies". Often shaking her ears. I do think the extra oil/protein in the egg helps her with her skin. Her fur is nice and shiny, no dryness to it or her skin.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Yup we have the salmon oil and fish oil covered. They get it with each meal and I found at bathtime adding melted coconut oil to the bath does wonders For allergies and dermatitis. Also I make them coconut oil and peanut butter bites. They love it like a treat but it’s got a good kick of coconut oil in there to help the skin

Oh my. We did all of that too! It sounds like you are doing everything that would help.
I have made frozen pb/coconut oil treats with bananas. Talk about doggies loving treats!

 

[Birdsong 82]

Yup. Ive collected lots of allergy gluten free dog treat recipes. We selling then this year at the craft fair and donating the money to the no kill shelter. Ever need any recipes let me know! Banana in the awesome idea

Oh my. We did all of that too! It sounds like you are doing everything that would help.
I have made frozen pb/coconut oil treats with bananas. Talk about doggies loving treats!

 

[Tesumph]

Yup. Ive collected lots of allergy gluten free dog treat recipes. We selling then this year at the craft fair and donating the money to the no kill shelter. Ever need any recipes let me know! Banana in the awesome idea

Um yes please! What an awesome idea!

 

[PirateGirl]

Apologies if this has been stated, I have not read the entire thread, just the original post.

Sometimes obsessive licking/biting is a sign of something internal causing pain, such as arthritis or inflammation in the joint. It's not always about a skin condition.

 

[Birdsong 82]

I have two Golden’s and both have allergies, but different symptoms. One gets hotspots and is always kinda itchy with drier skin.
The other is a chronic paw licker and always gets ear infections. The paw licker is also dumb as a bag of rocks (bless her heart) and I suspect part of it is just bad habit ingrained in her thick skull. She doesn’t make her paws bleed but if they get really nasty I’ll spray bitter apple spray on them. She gets fungal infections in her lip crease and I suspect it starts in her paws too.
Both of mine are on special food for allergy prone dogs, and it solved most of my issues. I also have to limit swimming time for paw licker and keep paws clean and trimmed. You could try a routine of cleaning, bitter apply spray, and then providing a kong or something to divert licking behavior and see if it improves.
It’s not unheard of for a dog to have a weird allergy, like grass. If you’ve ruled out diet, then I would suspect either fungal or a sensitivity to something in the yard.

Agreed with GAC. Even the constant licking can make her more prone to fungal or bacterial infections. It then becomes a vicious feed back loop. And, I do believe that allergies can manifest in spotty irritation, with the skin issues showing in the "weakest area". In this case, it's your dog's feet. I would do a bit of research, and consult the vet. But, I wonder if a trial of antifungal between her toes, and a bit of benadryl might clear her right up.

We tried cortisone on my dog's paws too. You can rinse her feet and then out that on see if it helps. Are her paws smelly? Could be yeast too.

Sounds like her nickname should be "Tootsie" - as in Tootsie Toes!
Before you think about rehoming your little girl, try a change of meds. Ask your vet about collie sensitivity issues - there are loads of them! After much trial and error and much foot-chewing, I gave my border collie mix Revolution for flea/tick/heartworm control. At 75% BC and a bit of all-american stray, he had all of the requisite border collie allergies. Revolution was the only effective med that didn't make him chew his feet bloody, poor baby.
Good Luck!

In my experience, foot chewing is usually allergies, but can also be a sign of under active thyroid. I would have the vet run a thyroid check. Often due to the constant licking and moisture, yeast can build up, making them more itchy and starting a vicious circle. You can try OTC athletes foot creams for that. To discourage her from licking it right off, try a good game of fetch or other distraction right after application. Also an omega 3 supplement such as salmon oil would be good, and also good for the allergic dog, if they're not already on something like that. Lastly, especially since it's a BC, it could be an OCD behavior. More exercise and/or a job to do could help, but there are also medications that help for OCD. I would consider a veterinary behavior specialist if all the medical efforts fail.

Wow. You guys are awesome. I could see the possibility of several things now
Allergies could be because @MROO is right with allergies and border collie because my other one is a border collie Shepard mix

Fungal or bacterial infection makes sense because we’ve had record rainfall amounts this month and that when it was getting bad and she loves outside With the fluffy paws may not be completely drying

I could also see OCD thing because we always joke and say yup Molly has some.. issues. She’s very strange in some of her habits and when we first got her she was scared of everything ... she bark at the rocking chair if it moved or lid to trash can if we popped it open and her foot phobia. Thyroid would be something to think about too

But I figured out a game plan to get this situated

 

[Birdsong 82]

Um yes please! What an awesome idea!

I have several friends with dogs who are taste testers with my 2 so when I get off work I’ll send you some that got all 6 paws up! They’re so cute... when the see the coconut and bean flour or coconut oil they sit and wait impatiently in the kitchen

 

[1muttsfan]

Dogs who's itchiness is caused by allergies that are seasonal (that is, seen only at certain times of the year) usually have atopic dermatitis, which is an allergic reaction to environmental allergens such as pollen, mold spores, and dust mites; the kinds of things that cause hay fever in people.

Grains are actually an extremely unusual cause of food allergy dermatitis in dogs. There big food allergens are all proteins, with chicken, beef and fish at the top. Dogs with food allergies tend to have non-seasonal symptoms.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Game plan:
Have husband and daughter to hold her still while I trim her toe fur ( and keep it trimmed from now on). She’s scared to death of electric clippers. She can be quite skiddish and check for fungal or bacterial infection and treat if that’s it if not. We will have to try to think what allergies or what’s new in her diet or surrounding that could cause this in the last week or 2 ( didn’t actually bleed till last night) though I can’t think of anything new
If we can’t come up with something there I’ll have to torture her with a trip to the vet to double check for allergy and ask about thyroid or OCD and what could be done. ( she’s one WEIRD dog). But that why we love her
A lot of that would’ve never thought of. Thank you

 

[Birdsong 82]

Apologies if this has been stated, I have not read the entire thread, just the original post.

Sometimes obsessive licking/biting is a sign of something internal causing pain, such as arthritis or inflammation in the joint. It's not always about a skin condition.

I could understand that but she’s still quite young as has never had any health issues. My older border collie mix is beginning to experience the joint thing since she’s almost 13 and needs help getting in and out of my husbands truck. I know border collies are prone to arthritis and hip problems as the age. But my Molly is always on the go. Love running and jumping. Still quite a puppy at heart. But def something to keep in mind. Thanks!