My dog won't stop licking things until they are soaked??

[Linda Lee]

I use to have a dachshund , when she got older she chewed her nails and licked her front paws all the time- drove me nuts!

My Golden sometimes licks his front feet, especially now because he had surgery and I have to keep him calm for 3 months. I'm lucky because he will chew those hard nylonbones that alot of dogs don't bother with.

Don't ever get a st. Bernard or any floppy mouth dog- you'll have wet spots everywhere! Beau(my golden) is pretty sloppy mouth too.When ever he drinks water the whole floor gets soaked and then we get our socks all wet, yuk!

[Crittercall]

My daughter's Golden is bad about licking her feet, too. (as are my Cavaliers.) In Golden's especially and most big breeds, it is important that you give them a food with a low protein content. Unless a dog is a "working" dog - which most of our aren't, I assume! - they don't need over 18% protein. So it helps to read the labels. For some reason, the higher protein causes them to itch.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to ask your vet about it. There are medications that can be given for the separation anxiety, etc., that will help.

[Linda Lee]

Thanks for that info on protein- I'll have to check their food. Buddy my older dog has been very itchy this year, and inside his paws get inflamed and he chews at them. I figured it was allergies to something . Maybe it's the protein. I feed them the lite large breed Nutros natural dry.

[Crittercall]

That's one of the easier places to start looking for the solution. It may take a bag of lower protein food before you really notice a change. You'll be surprised at how many dog foods out there are 25% protein or more. (That's also the reason dogs love cat food so much - it's really rich with protein.)