Epsom Salt Bath Soak

What's a dog gotta do with irritated paws? An Epsom Salt bath soak, according to my local vet and countless others in the blogosphere. For about 6 months now Kingsley has been licking his paws, generally the moment we turn off the lights to go to sleep. Not only is this not good for him, but it's terribly loud and annoying. As a result, his fur around his paws turned red, as often happens with Wheatens. (It's their form of a bruise). I tried giving him a regimen
of baby Benadryl at night but I wouldn't always remember.
So anyway, at our most recent vet appointment, the vet recommended an Epsom Salt bath soak. So, beginning yesterday, Kings and I have embarked on a 15 minute soak in the tub with about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Epsom Salts. In fact, the bath is ongoing as I type this sitting on the (closed) toilet seat. While there are no signs of relief yet, we're only starting on day 2. One
word of warning though for others who might try the soak, Epsom Salt's can be
used as a laxative so don't let your dog drink the water!