Why is my dog constantly licking paws?

Licking and chewing at the paws tends to lean more towards allergies. (And, yes I do hear you that it is only his feet and not his whole body. ) I've worked in the Veterinary Field for 20 years and know how frustrating it can be. There are so many things that could be causing allergies from grass, to food, to something you are using in your home. I agree with you, putting a cone on your dog is the best course of treatment. If we had an itch and someone tied are hands together, it would drive us crazy. Yes you want to keep his mouth off of his feet so he does not get a secondary infection but you do want to treat the underline issue as to what is causing the itch. If you go with a food allergy and change his diet. The key to that is making sure you eliminate ALL other treats and only stick to the prescription food. You also want to make sure you give the food trial a full 4-6 months before you really will see a difference. I know you have some Owners who are against medications. Honestly, it is all your personal preference. If you do decide to go the medication route, A lot of time it is just trying different medications until you find the one that works best for your dog. ( One medication that works on one dog may not work as well on the next dog.) I have had a lot of clients who has used Apoquel and loved it. Keeping your pet on a low dose. Something I would recommend talking to your vet about He/She can really go over the pros and cons on Apoquel.
But I agree with you, on reaching out for different opinions on getting your fur baby better. Just make sure you discuss it with your Veterinarian. If your Veterinatian is not wanting to find out why he is chewing at his feet or what you can do to help relieve the chewing, your always have the option to get a second opinion for another Veterinarian in the area.

Best of Luck! - Erica Marie

Corgi's LOVE to lick their paws. It's not a big deal but can be. Be sure to monitor it because it can sometimes cause some irritation around the area and they can start to lick their skin and get sores. How do I know this? My wife's mother bred Corgi's, my Mom has a Corgi, my sister-in-law has a Corgi, my wife's best friend has a Corgi. It's not concerning unless they develop secondary effects such as sores or blisters from it.

I worked on paw licking for years, but my dog also did a lot of itching as well and was prone to ear infections. The ear thing can be related paw licking, since his ear issues had to do with yeast and that would transfer from his ear to his paws. My dog initially concentrated on his rear paws as well since those were the ones he used to scratch around his ears. I tried everything from holistic treatments to many changes of diet and seeing specialists. I gave him supplements up the wazoo (all at different times) from colostrum powder to fish oil and various probiotics. He went on a raw diet, although I am not rigid about treats, etc. I also bathed him in special medicated shampoos. We still use Malaseb. The doctors generally say it is probably environmental so I wouldn't bother with the time and expense of putting your dog on an expensive prescription diet of hydrolized protein.

I did everything to avoid my dog having to get steroidal shots. I did not want that but he was scratching himself bloody and had elephant like skin under his pits. All four paws were subject to licking and it showed because my dog is one of those with that enzyme in his saliva and tears that turns white hair/fur brown.

Finally, a couple of years ago, I gave in to one of his doctor's recommendations because there was a new shot, a nonsteroidal called Cytopoint, and its efficacy was being touted. Oh yes, I also refused to put him on Apoquel, which was being prescribed for many, many dogs, like Ritalin or Adderall have been prescribed for children. This shot is a biologic and it worked like magic. He stopped licking and itching. It is supposed to be given monthly, but he can go much longer in between, especially in winter. This may not be the solution you were looking for but I investigated and worked on this for more than 7 years before giving up.

Good luck!