Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my chi kizzy has started licking on her paws. it has been 3 days at most that i will see her doing this. she looks like a cat doing this.another thing she does is lick and bite on the metal of her kennel. she sleeps in one of those kennels where the top unlatches from the bottom making it sooooo easy to keep clean. does her licking and biting on the metal mean anything??

It can be a nervous habit or even potentially allergies. I'd say wash the bedding in the kennel in some very mild detergent and see if that helps. If it persists and scabs start to form, a trip to the vet is in order.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Licking can be an obsessive behavior indicitive of nervousness, boredom and sometimes anxiety. If your dog won't stop licking and raw areas are forming, a trip to the vet may be in order. Often times veterinarians will recommend wrapping the area and/or placing a drying powder (such as Neo-Predef) onto the wound in order to promote healing. If you're seeing that your dog is scratching other places or chewing paws religiously, you might consider alleries. (If it gets bad enough, you may need to have allergy testing done...this is an expensive test, but often worthwhile. Your veterinarian will let you know what is needed. Anti-allergy pills such as benedryl may help if, indeed, allergies are the cause). As simple as this may seem, do not take the situation too lightly and do keep an eye on the area(s) should you decide against going to a veterinarian immediately. This past fall our veterinary clinic saw a gentleman whose dog had been chewing its paws and tail. The man brought the dog in at the last moment when he'd been chewing for weeks and, unfortunately, the dog had to have part of each chewed paw and his whole tail amputated. I'm not saying that to scare you, but there are the two ends of the spectrum. If you cannot get your pup to stop chewing, try placing bitter apple onto the areas s/he favors. In combination, you may want to make a trip to Petsmart or Petco and buy an elizabethan collar (goes around the neck to keep animals from being able to access the rest of their body). This, simply, may do the trick.

Sami