@BasenjiByTheBay:

Oh, that's great to hear - thanks for the update! Funny how we come to "know" and worry about the b's we meet on the forum

Absolutely!;)

@BasenjiByTheBay:

Any update on how Ali is doing?

Yeah! I took him to the vet a couple of weeks ago, they gave him a shot, prescribed some topical lotion for his one paw, and emptied his anal glands. He seemed to be doing much better with the licking…..but, just to be REALLY sure, I changed his food to Merrick's BG.....and with ALL that, he seems to be doing good. We left NO stone unturned! His vet didn't suspect a food allergy, more of a seasonal or environmental but I thought it'd be a good idea to get him on a grain free food to to cover all the bases......so far, so good!!

So sorry to hear of your news. I know how you feel and may God bless you…

@BasenjiByTheBay:

Ours have been on Merrick's BG for a while, but we just started switching over to Wellness Core (Chicken) and they seem to love it - they'll pick those bits out first. Maybe they just like a change sometimes. If you go that way, be sure to get the Core - other Wellness varieties are not grain free.

I am familiar with Wellness Core but didn't know it was grain free….thanks!!!

@sharronhurlbut:

My boy does this with outside allergens 2 times a year.
I give him benydril and it works wonders for him.
BUT he also has grain issues, so he eats grain free food.
Good luck and keep us posted.

Yeah, I think I'm gonna go with the grain free food anyway…......Merrick's BG, I guess. He's on Wilderness Blend now (which he loves)...unless someone has some other grain free suggestions?

Just thought I'd give you guys an update to Ali's paw licking. Took him to the vet and he feels it's an allergy (like a lot of you guys suggested) but he thinks it may be seasonal or environmental, not food. He gave him a shot and some topical ointment for his paw….told me to monitor the situation and see if it goes away in a week or two....
Oh, and he also drained his anal glands too!!!

@BasenjiByTheBay:

Yup, we switched our girl to Merricks BG and she's fine now. The licking all paws is a common early food allergy sign. It got worse from there. I'd really give a non-grain food a try if I were you.

Well, that's easy enough to do so I'll go with that first…...thanks to all!!!!
BTW, can anyone advise which dry BG is better for B's??

@BasenjiByTheBay:

Have you tried changing food? Ours made a miraculous recovery once we got her off of food with corn/corn products.

He's on Merrick's Wilderness Blend and has been for about 5 months so I don't think it's that. I'm thinking it's the anal glands, I'm gonna have him checked out. What I noticed over the weekend was that he's actually licking ALL of his paws…..not CONSTANTLY but enough to notice.....

@etzbseder:

Scooting.

It's easy enough to clear the glands, so I'd just get that done (or you can do it) and go through the rest of your list of things to check.

Hmmm, he never scoots. At least not that I've noticed…

@wizard:

EL D had a tiny rose thorn imbedded in his paw once and did a lot of paw licking and biting. Eventually I found the little pin hole and managed to draw out the prickle. It could still be something in his paw.

That's a good point, thank you. I DO have rose bushes in the yard….
As for the 'anal glands' does anyone know of any other symptoms that would tell me they need to be checked?