Hey look up dermapaw it works wonders for red itchy swollen pawsHi I just saw this now. The one thing that stands out in your post is the fact that you noticed it when he came back from the kennel and you hit the nail on the head. Now dublin does lick and chew her feet because of allergies but she had a major episode when we took her to NY when taking my son to college. she was amazing on the trip and had to stay with us in numerous "strange" places. We left her with my brother and sister in law on Long Island ( just for a few hours) while we went into the city. When we got back, she was beside herself. She had chewed and licked her paws until they were red and literally dripping in spit and drool. It struck me there and then she was doing that out of anxiety. Poor baby thought we had left her as we never do other than at home. it has taken weeks for her to back off quite a bit from the licking and chewing but once she does it is furious.. If you met her you would be struck by how sweet, laidback and quiet she is. She keeps it all in and boom! the anxiety comes out like it did when we left her that time. I spoke to the vet about it and of course he said there are many reasons that dog lick and chew and anxiety and boredom are two of them. How is Mr. D today???? I have used the Bitter Apple and it works for a lot of things and is very safe, but if Mr. D is doing it for a psychological reason you have to work on distracting him when you see him do it. Let me know how it is going. Ann