How to help your dog’s itchy paws

It’s one of the most commonly asked questions here at Anicura HQ: what can I do to stop my dog from licking or biting their paws? In this blog we’ll be discussing what could be causing the itchiness, what you could do to reduce it and how our Dog Gel and Dog Spray can help break the itch/scratch cycle and make your dog comfortable again.

As with many skin issues, there are a number of possible underlying causes for itchy paws, both internal and external. Food allergies can be a big factor, especially if your dog has other skin issues too. So many commercial dog foods these days are full of potential allergens and far from what a dog should be eating, so we always recommend looking into elimination diets and, ideally, switching to raw feeding.

If the problem only seems to be occurring during a particular time of the year, your pet may have a seasonal allergy. In this case a symptom management approach would be best, since avoiding the allergens wouldn’t really be an option. Washing your dog’s paws (with water or a natural, skin cooling, shampoo like our Dog Shampoo) after long walks outside could also help.

It’s important to be very picky with what products you use on your dog as well as around the house (on the floor, for instance). Products that may seem very gentle, especially human skincare products such as baby shampoo, could actually be irritating and drying out your dog’s skin. Dry skin in and of itself is an important trigger for itching, scratching and biting. Issues with yeast, fungus or parasites could also be contributing to your dog’s itchy paws – but since Anicura has products with antimicrobial, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties, you won’t have to resort to using harsh chemical treatments that might damage your dog’s skin even further.

Now that we’ve looked into possible causes, let’s have a look at some solutions. Our two main products that could help relieve your dog’s symptoms are our Dog Gel and our Dog Spray. The Dog Gel is amazing if your dog is chewing their paw pads, as the cooling gel texture provides some instant relief. It’s also easy to apply and very gentle for the sensitive skin of the pads. The Dog Spray is a bit more potent, as it has a number of essential oils that will calm and nourish the skin. Therefore, we recommend using it over the Gel if your dog is biting the tops of their paws or their legs – essentially, the somewhat less sensitive areas. The liquid of the Spray is so fine that it will sink into the skin super quickly, and it feeds the skin healthy nutrients to make it stronger and more able to fend off flare ups in the future.