Itching just paws

My pup is 1 years old this month, he has recently started randomly chewing and licking his paws and sometimes his legs. He only does it when he’s left alone, when I am sleeping, or if he’s just generally bored. He has no redness unless he’s been doing it a while (if I’m asleep, for example) and his paws aren’t inflamed etc. Hes been on the same food since I got him, nothing has changed at all in his diet. Any idea what this could be? I’m aware that I could go to the vet but I’d like to see other peoples opinion first and if this is home treatable etc. thank you in advance

Of course, the longer a dog licks its feet, the more embedded the becomes in their mind  and this relately benign licking phase may be an opportunity to identify the underlying cause without the complications eg of secondary yeast infection; I thought this worth mentioning.  There are many causes of toe-licking, most of which are chronic ie happen at a relatively low-level on a long-term basis.  However, I think that the causes fit boardly into three or four groups (and can, of course, be a result of a mixture of things).

1. Allergy - the absence of dietary change does not rule out a dietary allergy, I'm afraid, as the list of things to which one animal is allergic tends to grow steadily over time.   With foot-only skin problems, it may be that the allergy is affecting the whole dog on a low level, but the feet are conveniently in front of the dogs' nose and thereby the ideal first place to lick.  Other cases are different from that however, and result from contact eg with grasses, leaves, ground-based allergens.  Many owners find that walking through a foot-bath and rinsing the feet after a walk (an old tin bath or cat litter tray), and drying them well, makes a surprising difference because allergens dont go home stuck to the feet.   However, allergies are life long and vets do have a range of much better treatments for them now than in the past.

2.  Pain.  It doesn't have to be foot pain, either; again, front paws in particular are very convenient places to lick when faced with abdominal pain or even stress.   Pain should always be considered and for this reason we do reccommend that foot-lickers see a vet.

3. Parasites - mites and the like. 4. Foreign bodies eg needles, other low-level trauma such as walking on spiky surfaces. I hope that something there is useful; however, please do see your vet sooner rather than later.

Sorry - I remembered another important one 5. Nausea.   As well as pain, nausea can inspire foot-licking in dogs eg in connection with pancreatitis.    Therefore, please do see your vet sooner rather than later.