[cobismom]

Well, Cobi (age 9) has done it now. He is my licker. He licks his front paws when he is bored. Yes, we have tried all the home remedies and all the ones available to us in the store...they work for awhile, but then he begins to like the taste enough to stand and wait for us to spray or put them on. We've tried boots, mittens, socks, etc.

Today, I noticed one of the pads on the bottom of his paw was pink, like a puppies paws.
Well, somehow, I am thinking by the looks of things he has licked the callus soft...and there is a small amount of bleeding. I called the vet (poor man, he needs me to put him on a retainer) and told him about it, simply because the dogs do go out in the snow....and I don't want it to become infected. He told me to get a cortison or hydrocortison spray OTC at the pharmacy and spray that on each time he comes in, after I dry off the paw. It's supposed to dry quickly being a spray, so it should dry before Cobi starts licking again.

We are both rather frustrated, don't have any new answers, so I said I'd check with my "experts" and see what they suggest....meaning you. Anyone have a licker out there and how did you handle it?

 

[BergenandLizzy]

Crazy but helpful advice that someone gave me

I recently had that problem with one of my beags. She licked her back paw until it was raw. It was red/pink and swollen. I was very concerned and took her to the vet. He doctored her up and prescribed her antibiotics. I had to put the dreaded Elizabethan collar on her to prevent her from licking for a while. He told me to keep an eye on it. We couldn't figure out if it was allergies or just a one-time deal. Luckily, my situation was a one-time deal. Knock on wood, she hasn't been licking anymore. Had she continued, it could have been allergies. Has your pup been checked for allergies?

Meanwhile, when all of this was going on...and I was concerned about whether or not this licking was going to be an ongoing thing...I contacted my dad who was raised on a farm and who until I was about 15 years old had a pack of about 10 hunting beagles. His father and grandfather also had beagles. I asked him if any of his livestock/beagles ever had this problem and if so what did he do.

His response shocked me. He said that yes, this had happened with his animals before. And he cured the ailment by soaking the animal's feet in kerosene!!!! I could not believe this! I said over and over, "Dad, you are joking right?!" He was serious. He told me several stories. One in particular involved his prized hunting beagle BoBo. BoBo had a problem licking his paw, so my dad soaked it in a little bit of kerosene. BoBo stopped licking it and his paw dried out and was infection free. Dad said that it doesn't hurt the animal and solves the problem. After all the years of him using this unconventional technique, he never had any problems. His only warning was be careful putting it on indoor dogs. He said that the odor of the kerosene could get in the house. He said that it helps to let the paw fully dry before letting the dog back inside.

Though he doesn't have beagles anymore, he still uses this technique on his injured/sick cows. Now, I haven't had the opportunity to see if his advice works, but he swears by it. I am not saying try this with your beag, but it might be worth looking into if you have exhausted all other options.

Good luck!!! I hope that you find something that works.

You know old timers' remedies are sometimes the best.