Could Gut Health Be Behind Your Dog’s Paw Chewing and Licking?
If your dog is constantly chewing, licking, or nibbling at their paws, you’re not alone. Paw irritation is one of the most common concerns dog guardians search for—and one of the most misunderstood.
While gut health can absolutely play a role, it’s important to be clear from the start: gut imbalance is not always the cause of paw licking or chewing. There are many possible reasons dogs target their paws, and we cover several of these in detail in our other blogs. That said, when gut health is involved, addressing it properly can make a meaningful difference.
Let’s explore how the gut and paws are connected, and when probiotics may (or may not) help.
The Gut–Skin Connection in Dogs
Your dog’s gut does far more than digest food. Just like us humans, around 70–80% of the immune system lives in the gut, and when the gut microbiome is out of balance, the immune system can become over-reactive.
This imbalance—often called dysbiosis—may contribute to:
• Increased inflammation
• Poor nutrient absorption
• Heightened immune responses to otherwise harmless triggers
• Leaky gut
In some dogs, this immune imbalance can show up externally as itchy skin, redness between the toes, or obsessive paw licking and chewing.
When Gut Health Might Be a Factor
Gut health may be worth investigating if your dog also shows signs such as:
• Soft stools, diarrhoea, or inconsistent bowel movements
• Gas, bloating, or digestive discomfort
• Recurrent ear or skin issues
• Symptoms that flare during dietary changes or stress
• Eye discharge (eye bogies)
In these cases, supporting the gut microbiome can help calm the immune system and improve overall skin resilience.
Why Probiotic Quality and Diversity Matter
Not all dog probiotics are created equal.
Many heavily marketed dog probiotics on social media contain only two or three strains and come with a surprisingly high price tag—often costing far more per gram than they should. While these products may look impressive, come with lots of reviews (often paid for), limited strain diversity means limited support for the complex canine gut microbiome.
Dogs benefit from multiple strains working together, each supporting different aspects of digestion, immunity, and gut lining health.
Our dog-specific probiotic collection is formulated with 7 complementary strains, designed specifically for canine digestive systems—not humans. This broader strain diversity provides more comprehensive support, without the inflated price point seen in many influencer-driven brands.
You can explore our probiotic range 👉 here
A Gentle Reminder: Gut Health Isn’t Always the Answer
While gut health is an important piece of the puzzle, paw chewing is not a one-cause issue.
Other common contributors include:
• Non-contact environmental allergies (pollens, dust-mites, moulds etc.)
• Contact irritants (grass, plants, cleaning products, synthetic fibres)
• Food sensitivities
• Yeast or bacterial overgrowth
• Anxiety, boredom, or compulsive behaviours
• Nerve pain stemming from the neck/back or arthritis in the paws
That’s why we always encourage a holistic approach. Supporting gut health is valuable—but it should be done alongside investigating other potential triggers, many of which we discuss in depth in our other blog articles.
Supporting Your Dog the Smart Way
If you suspect gut health may be contributing to your dog’s paw chewing:
- Look at the whole dog, not just the symptom
- Choose dog-specific, multi-strain probiotics, not marketing hype
- Give the gut time—changes don’t happen overnight
- Continue ruling out other causes with informed guidance
- Diversify good bacteria in the gut by feeding a wide variety of fresh whole foods including fibrous plant matter, fermented vegetables, dog-safe bone broth and un-bleached green tripe
- Reduce chemical and toxin exposure (weed sprays, flea & tick meds, over-vaccination, chemical household cleaning products and room sprays)
Paw chewing is your dog’s way of telling you something isn’t quite right. Listening carefully—and responding thoughtfully—can make all the difference.
Shop our high quality and evidence-backed Probiotics Here
