Why Do Dogs Lick Their Paws? Causes and When to Get Help
Written by Dr. Hannah Godfrey, PhD, Animal Nutrition
If you're wondering why dogs lick their paws, start by looking for a pattern. Occasional licking can be part of normal grooming, but frequent or intense paw licking may signal irritation, an injury, allergies, parasites, infection, or inflammation of the paws known as pododermatitis.¹ ²
One important clue is whether your dog is focused on one paw or several. Suddenly licking one foot can point toward a cut, broken nail, thorn, splinter, or another localized problem. Repeated licking across multiple paws may make allergies, contact irritation, parasites, or another skin condition more likely.¹ ²
At Tom&Sawyer®, we're especially interested in where nutrition fits into your dog's overall health. But if your dog keeps licking their paws, changing their food shouldn't automatically be your first move. Let's look at the likely causes first, the signs you can safely check at home, and when diet may actually matter.
Why Do Dogs Lick Their Paws?
Dogs lick their paws for many reasons, including grooming, pain, injuries, contact irritation, allergies, parasites, and bacterial or yeast infections. Persistent licking is usually a sign that something is bothering your dog rather than a condition of its own.¹ ²
Veterinarians sometimes use the term pododermatitis to describe inflammation affecting the feet or paws. Pododermatitis itself isn't one specific disease. Instead, there are many possible underlying causes that need to be identified before the right treatment can be chosen.¹ ²
That's why looking beyond the licking itself matters.
Is Your Dog Licking One Paw or Several?
A dog licking one paw is more likely to have a localized problem, while licking several paws can be associated with broader issues such as allergies or skin disease. This isn't a diagnosis on its own, but it's a useful first clue.¹ ²
One Paw: Check for an Injury or Foreign Object
If the licking starts suddenly and your dog keeps returning to the same paw, inspect it carefully.
Possible causes include:
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A thorn, splinter, or grass awn
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A cut or puncture
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A cracked or injured paw pad
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A broken or damaged nail
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An insect bite
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Irritation from a hot or rough surface
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An interdigital lesion between the toes
Foreign-body problems can be particularly localized. Veterinary guidance notes that lesions caused by foreign objects such as grass awns are often solitary and can affect just one foot.³
If your dog is also limping, seems painful, or won't let you touch the paw, it's time to call your veterinarian rather than continuing to investigate at home.
Several Paws: Look Beyond a Simple Injury
If your dog is chewing or licking multiple feet, the problem may extend beyond an isolated injury.
Allergic skin disease, contact irritation, parasites, and secondary infections can affect several paws.¹ ² Dogs with allergic pododermatitis commonly experience persistent itching, inflammation, and sometimes swelling.¹
The location can offer another clue. Allergic inflammation often affects the tops of the paws, while contact irritation from something a dog has walked on may be more noticeable on the undersides.¹
Common Causes of Dog Paw Licking
The most common explanations for persistent dog paw licking include injury, allergies, infection, parasites, and contact irritation. Because several of these problems can look similar, persistent symptoms often require a veterinary diagnostic workup.¹ ²
Dog Paw Licking and Allergies
Dog paw licking can be associated with allergies, including environmental allergies and adverse food reactions. Allergies can make the skin itchy and inflamed, encouraging repeated licking and chewing.¹ ⁴
Environmental triggers may include pollen and other substances your dog encounters throughout the year. Some dogs experience more noticeable signs seasonally, while others have symptoms year-round.
Food can also be involved, but itchy paws alone don't prove a food allergy.
Research on canine adverse food reactions shows that itching can affect areas including the distal limbs, face, ears, and underside of the body.⁴ However, those signs overlap with other allergic skin conditions, which makes diagnosis based on symptoms alone difficult.
If you'd like to understand that distinction in more detail, read our guide to food allergies in dogs and how to help.
Bacterial and Yeast Infections
A dog paw infection can cause redness, swelling, discomfort, hair loss, discharge, and persistent licking. Bacteria and yeast are among the infectious causes veterinarians consider when evaluating pododermatitis.¹
The tricky part is that infection may not be the original problem.
A dog may begin licking because of allergies or irritation. Repeated licking and inflammation can then damage the skin barrier, helping secondary bacterial or yeast infections develop.²
This is one reason persistent itchy dog paws shouldn't be treated by guesswork. A veterinarian may use skin cytology, skin scrapings, hair samples, cultures, or other tests depending on what the paws look like and your dog's history.¹
Parasites
Parasites can also cause inflammation and paw licking. Demodex mites are one example veterinarians may investigate, particularly with chronic inflammation between the toes.¹ ²
Skin scrapings and hair pluckings can help check for mites and other potential causes.¹
Since parasites, allergies, and infection can produce overlapping signs, identifying the underlying problem is much more useful than simply trying to stop the licking.
Contact Irritation and Environmental Triggers
Your dog walks through the world barefoot.
Hard surfaces, excessive exercise, irritating substances, hot pavement, and foreign objects can all damage or irritate paw tissue.¹ Even something encountered on an ordinary walk can leave your dog licking their paws later.
If the licking starts after a walk, consider where your dog has been and whether anything unusual came into contact with their feet.
What Can You Safely Check When Your Dog Is Licking Their Paws?
You can gently inspect your dog's paws for obvious injuries, irritation, swelling, damaged nails, or easy-to-see foreign material, but painful or deeply embedded problems should be left to your veterinarian.⁵
Check:
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Between each toe
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The top and underside of the paw
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Paw pads for cracks, cuts, or burns
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Nails for breaks or damage
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Skin for redness or swelling
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Fur for unusual staining or hair loss
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Any bumps, sores, discharge, or unusual odour
If something superficial is easily visible and removable, such as loose debris, you may be able to gently clear it. Don't dig into the paw to remove deeply embedded material. Doing so can cause more pain, bleeding, or tissue damage.⁵
When Should You Call a Veterinarian About Dog Paw Licking?
Call your veterinarian when paw licking is persistent, painful, associated with limping, or accompanied by visible inflammation, wounds, swelling, hair loss, discharge, or other skin changes.¹
Veterinary attention is particularly important when you notice:
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Persistent or worsening paw licking
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Limping or reluctance to bear weight
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Bleeding or an open wound
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Significant swelling
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Pus or other discharge
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A deep foreign object
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Bald areas or broken skin
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Recurrent problems affecting several paws
The diagnostic workup depends on what your veterinarian finds. Testing may include cytology for bacteria or yeast, skin scrapings for parasites, cultures, imaging, biopsies, bloodwork, or a controlled food trial.¹
Treating the underlying cause can also help break the lick-irritate-lick cycle that makes paw problems worse.
When Does Dog Food Matter for Paw Licking?
Dog food can matter when paw licking is connected to an adverse food reaction or when you're supporting overall skin health, but switching foods isn't the right solution for every dog licking their paws.⁴ ⁶
This distinction is important.
If your veterinarian suspects a food allergy, an elimination diet followed by a controlled food challenge remains the reference standard for diagnosis. Research has found that blood, saliva, and other commercially available food allergy tests don't reliably replace a properly conducted elimination trial.⁴ ⁶
During an elimination trial, dogs are typically fed a carefully selected diet while other foods, treats, and flavoured extras are avoided. Your veterinarian should guide this process, because even small amounts of other food can interfere with the results.
So, what is the best dog food for paw licking? There isn't one food that treats every case because paw licking has many causes. If a food sensitivity is genuinely suspected, the right dietary strategy depends on what your dog has eaten before and what your veterinarian is trying to evaluate.
Supporting Skin Health Through Complete and Balanced Nutrition
Outside of a diagnostic elimination diet, good nutrition still matters for maintaining healthy skin.
Protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals all contribute to normal skin and coat health. A complete and balanced diet helps provide these nutrients in appropriate amounts rather than relying on individual supplements as a quick solution.
At Tom&Sawyer®, we prepare our recipes with human grade ingredients in a human grade inspected facility. Our gently-cooked meals are scientifically balanced and formulated to meet specific AAFCO nutrition profiles.
If you're considering a fresh approach to your dog's everyday nutrition, our custom Meal Plan questionnaire is the best place to start. Tell us about your dog's size, age, body condition, dietary history, and health considerations, and we'll help you find a feeding approach that fits them.
For dogs where a novel protein is appropriate as part of their regular feeding plan, Kangaroo* provides another protein option. Fisherman's Best Friend is another recipe you can explore when comparing meal options.
These everyday recipes should not be treated as a substitute for a veterinarian-directed diagnostic elimination diet.
Help Your Dog Get Comfortable Again
If you've been asking "why do dogs lick their paws?", remember that the licking is a clue. Start with the paw itself, consider whether one or several feet are affected, and watch for signs of injury, allergies, parasites, or infection.
When symptoms persist, your veterinarian can help identify what's causing those itchy dog paws rather than simply treating the behaviour.
And when nutrition is part of the bigger picture, we can help make feeding easier. Complete our Tom&Sawyer® Meal Plan questionnaire to tell us about your dog and explore a personalized way to add human grade, gently-cooked nutrition to their routine.
*Currently available in Canada only.
Resources
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Hunter T, Ward E. Pododermatitis in Dogs. VCA Animal Hospitals. Reviews causes, clinical signs, diagnostic testing, and treatment of canine paw inflammation, including allergies, infection, parasites, foreign bodies, and contact irritation.
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pododermatitis-in-dogs -
Bajwa J. Canine pododermatitis: A complex multifactorial condition. Canadian Veterinary Journal. 2023;64(5):489-492. Reviews pododermatitis, paw licking, trauma, allergic disease, secondary infections, parasites, and the importance of evaluating the underlying cause.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10213165/ -
Moriello KA. Interdigital Furunculosis in Dogs. Merck Veterinary Manual. Reviews painful interdigital lesions, foreign-body reactions, allergic disease, bacterial infection, and diagnostic considerations.
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/integumentary-system/interdigital-furunculosis/interdigital-furunculosis-in-dog -
Mueller RS, Unterer S. Adverse food reactions: Pathogenesis, clinical signs, diagnosis and alternatives to elimination diets. Veterinary Journal. 2018;236:89-95. Reviews canine food reactions, common dermatologic signs, and elimination diets as the diagnostic method of choice.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29871756/ -
VCA Animal Hospitals. First Aid for Torn or Injured Foot Pads in Dogs. Reviews safe inspection of injured paws, foreign objects, wounds, bleeding, burns, and situations requiring veterinary attention.
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/first-aid-for-torn-or-injured-foot-pads-in-dogs -
Udraite Vovk L, Mueller RS. Adverse Food Reactions in Dogs and Cats. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. 2026;56(3):579-589. Reviews adverse food reactions and current evidence showing that elimination diet trials with dietary provocation remain the diagnostic gold standard.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41391959/
