Hi guys, wonder if any of you could help me with this. My Shepherd bitch is chewing on one of her back paws, it started about a week ago and she just wont leave it alone. I have had a good look and cant see anything at all, have washed it just incase too. Took her to the vets a few days ago and he had a really good help but couldn't see anything either. It is driving her(and me) nuts as she just won't leave it alone. I am not sure what to do now as she is making it sore now. She is also due to be mated next week and i don't want her stressed out with this, am also  worried that she may end up needing antibiotics so close to being mated. Any ideas would be great??

She needs to see the vet could be almost anything and our making suggestion are not going to help. AB will not be a problem but tell the vet you intend mating her at her next, due shortly, season.

Hi Lucy.  Paw chewing is often food related, usually due to an intolerance of something in the food.  Have you changed your dog's diet lately? 

Hi, when our cocker started chewing her paws our Vet also struggled with diagnosis. It was eventually found to be a yeast infection.

I have a shepherd did this once to a foot. It was started by a small graze and she got into a chew-itch-chew cycle, was the devil to stop it. If the vet feels there is nothing there and you can rule out anything else we kept a sock on the foot and distraction lots of extra traning sessions, walks, grooming anything you can once she starts to take her mind off it. She chewed it to a red raw sore and it took about 6 months to finally clear it up for good. Not been bitten by anything has she? some spiders can bite and itch then the cycle begins.
Aileen

salt and grit on the walks ....if it has recently started. Also pyoderma- interdigital furunculosis??? Try Benadryl anti allergy cream  available on line in the UK, if the vet is stumped.

Thankyou all for your replies. Vet could find absolutely nothing wrong and had a very thorough look. We haven't changed her diet at all, she is fed completely raw and have made no changes at all.We walk her in the woods most days so i am worried that she may have picked something up from  there? 

She may just have walked in some stinging nettles - amazingly there have been young ones still growing until the last few days. If she was stung by them, she may have chewed at her foot and now it's turning into a cycle of chewing it. This happened to one of mine when he was stung by a bee. Distraction worked best, along with Piriton and covering it up.

Could her anal glands be the problem ? I know a few dogs who chew their back paws when their glands are blocked.

My bitch daisy will also chew at a paw but it's usually a front one, she can get quite obsessive about it, I've found a sprinkle of good old Thornit seems to clear up the itch for her.

Try rubbing baby bottom cream well in between the pads and round the nail beds before and after walks, will do not harm and I have known it help. Who knows what upsets them in situations like this but applying some sort of barrier cream may do the trick.

I had this with my gsd very recently both front paws . I tried most of the usual things and eventually reluctantly agreed for the vet to put him on abs' fpr three weeks. It certainly cleared it up

interdigital furunculosis this is what the vet was thinking but hopefully he is ok now