How to Stop My Dog's Paw Licking

Dogs spend time each day grooming themselves so licking their paws is natural. However the licking, licking, licking all night long. Biting, biting, biting until the skin is raw and bleeding. Licking until the fur is a funky pink color, IS NOT NATURAL!

So, why do dogs lick their paws? What compels dogs to lick their paws constantly? And most importantly, how do you stop a dog from licking their paws?

Why do dogs lick their paws?

Dogs lick their paws and chew their paws because of a bad reaction to their dog food. Dogs are carnivores. Many are fed diets that consist of little meat and an abundance of grains, carbs and fillers, plus chemical preservatives and dyes, rancid fats and just plain garbage. Even the best commercial pet foods are heat processed literally to death. These foods can fuel paw licking in dogs.

All of our systems, (yours and your dog's included) contain yeast in our gut tract. This yeast is kept in check by a healthy immune system and by the healthy flora of the gut tract. This yeast feeds on sugars (carbs/grains are converted to sugar by your body).

A dogs diet should consist mainly of meat and meaty bones. This should be the main "ingredient" for optimum health. But, you just read that dog food ingredient list. Even the "high quality" foods have an ingredient list that looks similar to this: Chicken meal, potato starch, turkey, peas, potatoes, tomato pomace, flax seed, whole carrots, alfalfa meal, etc.

And your dogs immune system, kept on heat processed dog food, or even an incorrect homemade diet, is NOT in great shape. So, the yeast goes NUTS! This causes intense itching. Your dog licking his paws is a soothing behavior and offers some temporary relief.

Dog chewing on paws

Dogs licking or chewing paws, can be a sign of a yeast infection. Your dog may also have ear issues, stinky skin or weight issues. Because a diet that is loaded with grains/carbs/fillers actually changes your pet's pH, paw licking (saliva) can cause the fur to actually turn pink. This is also true for dogs that have red, pink or brown eye/face staining as well. When a dog licks his paws constantly it is a strong sign you need to improve your dogs diet.

How to stop my dogs paw licking?

Paw licking in dogs is NOT a "bad habit" or "boredom" it is a symptom of a systemic problem, that is corrected through changing and improving your dogs food. Change your dogs food from carbohydrate based, to a meat based dog food. It is very simple.

Unfortunately, I have seen suggestions online that include spraying your dogs feet with cayenne pepper, putting socks on your dog, give your dog a bone to distract him, yell and scream at your dog. All in an effort to stop dogs from licking their paws. Of course these are just "bandaids" if yeast is the culprit, then of course, NONE of these things will work!

It's really as simple as cutting out the carbohydrates and beefing up your dogs dog food (literally!) Add a nutritional supplement. Allow up to 90 days to change your dogs pH, to boost his immune system and to rid his body of yeast overgrowth.

Meaty Diet + Dinovite + 90 Days = Happy Dog!

• For a super Starve Out Yeast Diet (30 days), click here.
• For an easy and economical Homemade Dog Food (alternative to commercial pet food) that can end paw licking in dogs for good, click here.
• For more information about yeast and its symptoms, read What causes yeast in dogs.