Yorkshire Terrier Licking or 

Chewing at Their Paws

This article will cover the top reasons a Yorkie may lick or chew at their paws, red flags that a visit to the vet is required, and the most effective at-home treatment options to help resolve this issue. 

Let’s dive in. 

With a helper if needed and ideally under a bright light or outdoors on a sunny day, inspect the paws for any issues such as a pebble wedged between the pads, debris or cracked skin between the toes, burns, splinters, etc. Of course, splinters or pebbles should be removed. Burns, small cuts, or other minor injuries can often be treated with a paw balm. Details are ahead under ‘Step 2: Treat the paws with topicals’. 

Consider the walking route and other places where your Yorkie’s paws are exposed to elements that may be bothering them. 

In regard to lawn care products, keep in mind that public grassy areas that may spray for insects or spread down fertilizer often remove the warning signs before the residue is completely gone. And, if a neighbor is using lawn chemicals, this can spread out (and possibly into your yard) when it rains. 

Assess the walking route to see if it’s too sandy, rough, hot, or otherwise is too hard on the paws. 

Using a quality paw wax can often work well to repel all sorts of irritants that cause itchy paws and add a layer of protection from coarse surfaces. Details are ahead under ‘Step 2: Treat the paws with topicals’.

Resolving allergies can be a bit complicated, especially when the exact trigger is not known. Some of the most common allergies are to dust mites, pollen, and foods with high levels of gluten. 

There are some steps you can take at home to reduce allergens. This includes wet-dusting the house often, vacuuming all floors with a HEPA vacuum, running air purifiers with HEPA filters, washing off your Yorkie’s paws when they are entering back inside the home, washing their bedding and other washables that they come into contact with in hot water with hypo-allergic detergent, and following feeding guidelines in offering a grain-free kibble or one with gluten-free grains (like rice and/or oatmeal). 

Signs of a bacterial skin infection on the paws includes itchiness, reddened areas, pustules (blisters filled with pus), crusting, lesions or sores (often raised), and/or loss of hair (on areas that have hair, such as the tops and sides of the paws). If this is suspected, it requires veterinary treatment which will often involve oral and/or topical antibiotics. 

Signs of a yeast skin infection on the paws includes itchiness, reddened areas, inflammation (especially round the toes), sores, sticky discharge, and/or a foul smell. In regard to the smell, some equate this to wet smelly socks or a very strong corn chip odor. Note that a slight corn chip odor is normal as this is linked with the Malassezia species of yeast that is found on all dogs. It is when there is an overgrowth of Malassezia that it is deemed an infection and that corn chip odor becomes very pungent. 

Yeast infections may respond to at-home treatment (details ahead under ‘Step 2: Treat the paws with topicals), though very strong or stubborn ones will require prescribed anti-fungal medications.