Lick-Staining Her Paws

[Chris]

Layla has a habit of licking her front legs just above the paws. She doesn't usually bite them, and there is no fur damage nor hot spots. But the brown stains are ugly!

Any suggestions for getting them clean? I plan to put yucky stuff on the fur for a while, but I'd love to get her snowy little paws back!

I did find this: Thoughts?

1 Mix 4 tbsp. of sea salt with 1 gallon of distilled water. Keep the mixture in the fridge.

2 Wash the affected area with the sea salt mixture three to four times a day. Pour a little bit of the mixture onto the pink part of the fur and gently massage it for 30 seconds. Make sure the pink area is completely saturated with the mixture. Rinse with lukewarm water afterward. Sea salt kills bacteria and will help keep that area clean and free from red yeast. Red yeast can cause further staining.

3 Pour hydrogen peroxide over the pink fur stain once daily. Massage the stain with the hydrogen peroxide for 30 seconds. Leave the hydrogen peroxide on for three to five minutes. Rinse with lukewarm water. A dog's saliva contains porphyrin, a product of broken down red blood cells, which is why it stains the fur pink. Hydrogen peroxide has a mild bleaching effect and is safe for dogs.

4 Put apple cider vinegar in your dog's water twice a day. Use 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar per 50 lbs. of your dog's weight. If you have a 25 lb dog, for example, you'd use 1/2 tbsp. in the morning and 1/2 tbsp. at night. Make sure the bowl is completely filled with water before you add the vinegar. The vinegar can help change the composition of the saliva. This may reduce future staining.

 

[Caro]

Tully licks her paws from allergies. I use some 'self-rinsing' shampoo from Plush Puppy that is a blue colour and seems to bring out the white again. I use it on their ruffs too after they have a bone and get mucky, makes them sparkle.

 

[Chris]

Tully licks her paws from allergies. I use some 'self-rinsing' shampoo from Plush Puppy that is a blue colour and seems to bring out the white again. I use it on their ruffs too after they have a bone and get mucky, makes them sparkle.

Is that the Plush Pet Whitening Shampoo? Is it a leave-in?

 

[Greenepony]

I'm not sure a blueing shampoo would work since they don't remove stains as much as they are a color enhancer. If it's a paler spot it might work but if it's well stained it might not. We used it on the leopard POA I rode when I was younger after he would roll (he liked to spite me) and it just made him a sparkling white with correct bay spots, and improper yellow/brown splotches.

 

[Caro]

Arg, they've changed all their packaging. I think its the instant clean - but I'll be doing a big shop of dog products at the confirmation show so will double check.

 

[dixiechick]

Sounds like allergies

Those stains are all most impossible to remove. Had a dog that was allergic to mold - which is in the grass of the yard. Nothing helped the stains but allergy meds helped with the itching.

 

[BarbV]

Well, uum, I'd be asking why she is licking her paws that obsessively.

Allergies????? Comulsive behaviour? I would see if I could find the root cause first. Just a thought

B

 

[Chris]

Well, uum, I'd be asking why she is licking her paws that obsessively.

Allergies????? Comulsive behaviour? I would see if I could find the root cause first. Just a thought

B

Habit, like nail biting. When I say, Layla, please don't lick your feet," she stops. No allergy, no skin irritation.

 

[GothicLove4Pets]

I'm having the same problem with Bandit... although he has skin problems all over. I am beginning to suspect he has allergies on top of his normal-low thyroid. I know when I go to the vet they'll up his thyroid meds, but ever since he's come home, he's done the paw licking. ALWAYS.

I'm beginning to think it's a mix of compulsive habit along with allergies... Although I haven't bathed him in a while.

So i'll be following this thread.

Hydrogen Peroxide kills germs, so I don't know.
I don't know about apple cider vinegar in water. Doesn't it have a taste?

 

[Emily]

Okay, I'm having the same problem with my dog - he's always licking/chewing his front paws & they're discolored now. I thought he had some kind of OCD or something, I never knew this could be due to allergies, I'll have to bring it up to the vet @ his check-up coming up.