Why Does My Dog Bite His Nails? 7 Reasons & Ideas to Redirect It (Vet Answer)

When you settle down to sleep or watch movies with your dog, there’s nothing worse than the sound of them obsessively going at their nails. If you want to fix the issue, you need to understand why they’re doing it in the first place. There are many possible reasons your pup could be biting their nails, but usually, they are biting because they are itchy, irritated, or for behavioral reasons. In this article, we will look at the most common reasons your dog won’t leave their feet alone and what to do until you can get your pup to the vet.

The 7 Possible Reasons for Nail Biting

1. Allergies

Allergies can make your dog’s paws very itchy and make them chew, bite, and lick the area. Allergies to things your dog walks on, like grass, plants, pesticides, carpet, or bedding, can make their feet itchy when they come into contact with them. Other allergies, like seasonal or food allergies, can also make your dog’s feet itchy.

There is no cure for allergies, but management strategies and treatments are available. If you can work out what your dog is allergic to, sometimes you can avoid contact with that substance. Options like medication, special diets, and allergy testing are available to help your dog.

2. Behavior Problems

Some dogs enjoy licking and biting their nails, but if the behavior becomes excessive or causes issues like infection or bald spots, there is cause for concern. Your dog could be bored, anxious, or have a behavioral disorder. Sticking to a good care routine and providing physical and mental stimulation can help stressed and bored dogs.

Look for signs of anxiety such as panting, restlessness, shaking, and vocalizing. Dogs with generalized anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorders frequently need to be medicated to control their signs, so talk to your vet about it.

3. Foreign Body

If your dog's behavior has started suddenly, something may be embedded in or around the nails. A grass awn, stinger, or splinter could be embedded in the paw. If you can completely remove the foreign body and check for injuries, you might resolve the issue at home.

Before the object is removed, you should clean the area with a dog-safe antiseptic like chlorhexidine to prevent infection. However, if you can’t get the object out completely or there are larger breaks in the skin, you should visit the vet for help.

4. Infection

Infections around the paw and the nails can take a few forms. Infections are usually secondary to something else. Nail bed infections are common and can involve yeast, which creates a black discharge around the base of the nail. Yeast infections can cause a black discharge in between the paw pads.

Infections can also be bacterial and tend to cause inflammation and sores. A medicated shampoo with antibacterial and antifungal ingredients can take care of mild infections, but if you notice signs like swelling, pain, or excessive discharge, a vet will need to prescribe something stronger to clear the infection as soon as possible.

5. Parasites

If your dog has picked up a tick, it can embed itself in the skin around the nail and between the paw pads. It may look like your dog is biting their nails as they try to get the tick off. If you find a tick, you should remove it as soon as possible and disinfect the area with chlorhexidine.

Depending on your location, you may also need to watch for signs of Lyme disease; contact your vet for advice if you’re unsure. Fleas can also cause itchy paws, but typically, dogs with fleas are itchy all over.

6. Injury

Nail injuries are very common, especially in dogs with long nails. They can splinter, break, or be torn off. Additionally, dogs running on abrasive surfaces like stone can wear their nails to the point of bleeding. Sometimes, the nails grow so long that they dig into a dog’s skin, causing pain.

Your dog may also look like they are biting their nails if they are licking a wound in that area. An insect may also have bitten your dog on the foot if the behavior started suddenly. If you can, trim the nails to resolve any breaks, but don’t cut the quick, which is the sensitive tissue inside the nail. You should go to the vet if you can’t treat the injury with nail clippers and antiseptic.

7. Cancer

Lumps and bumps, especially those with discharge, can cause your dog to bite at their feet and around their nails. Skin cancers can pop up just about anywhere. If you notice an unusual lump on your dog, your vet should examine it.

They may take a sample from the lump to determine if it’s cancerous. If needed, they can schedule surgery to remove the lump. The timely removal of skin cancers can save your dog’s life.

What to Do About Nail Biting

Check the Paw

If your dog will allow it, look at the paw carefully, checking the top and underside, between the toes, and the nails themselves. Look for any apparent discharge, redness, swelling, injuries, or foreign bodies.

Some dogs will let you clip the hair around the paw to see better, which is usually only necessary for long-haired dogs. For everyone's safety, you might need someone to hold your dog or even to use a muzzle during this process, but please don’t stress your dog, and take them to a vet if you cannot check their paws.

Stop the Biting

Excessive licking and biting can cause infections and other problems. Hands down, the best way to temporarily stop your dog is the dreaded Elizabethan collar. If you have one on hand, put it on your dog until they stop wanting to bite their feet, or you visit the vet.

Alternatives include a bitter spray or putting a sock over the leg. Unfortunately, sometimes, these measures don’t work and can lead to complications, such as your dog ingesting a sock or wounds under the bandage if not used correctly.

Visit the Vet

If you haven’t been able to resolve the cause of the licking within a few hours, you should make a veterinary appointment. This appointment can be urgent if your dog shows signs of illness like vomiting, lethargy, or not wanting to eat.

You also want to get your dog examined fairly quickly if there is a bad smell or discharge from the paws or if you notice any injuries or lumps.

Final Thoughts

Some causes of nail biting are more obvious than others. If the behavior is excessive or out of character for your dog and you can’t tell what is going on, you should visit a vet sooner rather than later.

Sometimes, you can help your dog at home and resolve the problem, but that is not always true. It’s better to be safe than sorry if you’re unsure.

• See also: Why Do Dogs Bite Themselves? 6 Vet-Verified Reasons & Tips

Featured Image Credit: Aleks Images, Shutterstock