Does your Shiba Inu lick his paws excessively? Licking paws and other body parts represent a normal part of your dog’s grooming hygiene. However, if your Shiba does it constantly, then he might deal with anxiety or suffer from a certain health condition.
Healthy Shiba Inu paws should be soft and free of cracks. Your dog’s nails should be regularly trimmed, while the spots between the toes should be regularly checked for dirt and plant pieces stuck.
Why Is My Shiba Inu Licking Paws? What are the most common reasons?
As we all know, the reasons for your Shiba Inu licking paw behavior are many. These pooches are born lickers which means they love to groom themselves like cats. They love to lick their paws and other body parts to stay clean and tidy. Therefore, you should know to recognize when your Shiba Inu really has a problem. These are the most common reasons for your Shiba Inu’s licking behavior, so we hope you’ll easier determine the root of the problem.
Dermatitis in Shiba Inus
Although it’s very rare, Shiba Inus can suffer from dermatitis. Dermatitis is a result of allergies, so you have to carefully observe all the allergy triggers from your dog’s vicinity before you make a conclusion. Your Shiba can even develop dermatitis by being allergic to your fabric softener, laundry detergent, or floor cleaning chemical. Besides paws, dog dermatitis can occur on a dog’s belly, ears, and armpits. Itchiness and licking are the first symptoms of this condition while hair loss, redness, flaky skin with an odor, rashes, and crusts may also occur if you leave it untreated.
Parasites on a Shiba Inu’s paws
Fleas or mange on the dog’s paws can be very uncomfortable and itchy. To eliminate them, your vet will prescribe you a topical and antibiotic cream.
Arthritis
Senior Shiba Inus are on a higher tendency to suffer from arthritis and painful joints. Arthritis occurs when your dog starts to lose cartilage and elasticity in ligaments, so one of the remedies will be to take chondroitin and vitamin B supplements when your pooch steps into senior age. Therefore, if you’ve noticed that your Shiba Inu licks his paws every time he gets back from a walk or after play, then he might suffer from arthritis. Licking is one of the ways to release the pain.
Even though Shiba Inus are quite independent dogs, they can start suffering from separation anxiety if haven’t been properly socialized. Regardless of the dog breed you own, make sure you gradually increase the time he/she spends alone. In that way, your pet will easier deal with the time of loneliness. An anxious Shiba Inu will bite, lick and chew their paws because it gives the sense of comfort. However, excessive scratching and licking can cause bacterial infections, so you have to help your pooch on time.
Stuck element
Shiba Inu’s paws are daily exposed to different elements such as sharp pavements, different plants, icy terrains, and hot sand. Besides, most dogs walk barefoot 24/7. If you’ve noticed that your Shiba Inu is licking paws like he wants to get rid of something, then carefully examine both the pads and spots between the toes.
Yeast infection
A Shiba Inu with yeast infection will have red and itchy paws and a yeasty odor that resembles the smell of cheese or popcorns. In some cases, we can also spot a brown discharge in the nail beds. Malassezia is a type of yeast that naturally lives on a dog’s skin, and when a dog’s immunity becomes weak, the yeast can grow. If you leave the yeast infection untreated, it can spread throughout the body, causing hairless and painful hot spots.
