How To Stop A French Bulldog From Licking Its Paws

In order to find out how to stop French Bulldog licking paws first, you must identify the reason why they are licking them in the first place.

All dogs Lick their paws every now and again,  most of the time there will be nothing wrong with them medically, however in some cases, there could be cause for concern.

In today’s post, I will be going over the ‘ins and outs’ of why your Frenchie may be licking its paws and how to prevent them from doing so.

Related: How To Stop Your French Bulldog From Pulling

Why does a dog lick its paws?

If your French Bulldog has itchy paws, the dog usually tries to relieve the itch by licking. This is a totally natural thing to do if it is just a simple itch.

If your French Bulldog seems to be doing this all of the time though then this could be cause for concern and you should take your dog to the vet.

Constant licking can destroy the skin barrier and promote inflammation which can make the itch more aggressive.

Inflammation allows bacteria and fungi to penetrate the skin very easily and cause even more licking to occur. this becomes a vicious cycle in which the affected skin doesn’t get time to heal.

Over time, your dog will start remembering when it licks it’s wound it reduces the itching. Even when the affected area is fully healed and there is no more itching, French Bulldog carries on licking the area out of habit.

How To Stop French Bulldog Licking Paws When Healing

Whatever may be the cause for the itching, raw wounds can be hard to heal as they stay itchy for many days after treatment.

Because of this, you will need something to relieve the itching so that your dog stops licking the wound.

Here is my recommendation on an anti-itch product that I have personally used over the years:

Vetericyn Plus Hot Spot Antimicrobial Gel for Dogs

This spray is to be used 2-3 times per day and offers immediate relief, so you can start the healing process right away.

It does not contain any antibiotics or steroids, so you rest assure that your dog won’t have any side effects from it.

I have used this spray on a few of my dogs and it worked perfectly every time.

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Possible Causes Of Itching

There are many reasons why your dog may start constantly licking their paws, but in all cases, you should make sure that you take them to the vet as soon as possible.

Here are some of those causes:

Autumn Grass Mites

These parasites are particularly irritating for our dogs in the late summer between July and October. Our four-legged buddies are not much disturbed by the full-grown autumn grass mite (Trombicula autumnalis). On the other side, their larva produces a saliva secretion during the suction act on the paws, causing huge itching. Therefore the dogs start to lick.

Under the microscope, you can detect these creatures that belong to the spider species. The veterinarian can use an appropriate antiparasitic to handle them well.

Yeast Mushrooms

Many fungi, including a yeast fungus called Malassezia, reside on the skin of our dogs. Like the mites, this is totally unproblematic. However, only when the dogs’ skin flora is severely damaged, e.g. by an allergy, hormonal illnesses or continuous leaching, does the fungus reproduce quickly, resulting in heavy itching. 

The veterinarian utilizes a Tesafilm strip to extract skin cells from the paws of the dog for diagnosis and can inspect them with a dye exam instantly for macecia. For effective therapy, a unique medical shampoo is generally adequate. The triggering cause, such as an allergy, must be studied more intensively if the itching increases.

Fortunately, yeast fungi are not contagious.

Skin Fungi

Usually, skin fungi contribute to hair loss and often accompany an unpleasant itching. To enable the veterinarian to clearly identify the fungus, a culture is developed to provide clarity after 4 to 21 days, based on the sort of fungus and its growth frequency. Important for skin fungi: to people and pets, they are generally contagious. So please also check for an infestation on the other animals in the household and use a little caution during the treatment.

However, a unique shampoo and ointments can be used to treat the skin fungus.

Foreign Objects

If the dog licks only the same paw at all times, the cause may even be a tiny foreign body. Maybe a splinter has penetrated under the skin with its sharp end. A thorn may have settled in the tissue, or even encapsulated it. With tweezers and ointment, if you can not remove the foreign body yourself, the vet usually only needs a small cut and the itching trigger is eliminated.