My 11 month old working cocker has just finished her first season so has only just recently started going out again. Over the last couple of days she has been biting and chewing her back paw. This has been between the toes and also on her pads. The area is now quite red and the pad is very red and looks inflamed. She is unable to walk on it fully and sometimes lifts it right off the ground. Other times it does not seem to bother her.
Do you have any suggestions what it might be and how I can treat it or is it a trip to the vet?
She has not had anythignlike this before.

Thanks

Mark

Gus has problems with his paws too . We have had skin scrapes  for mites and also blood test for fox mites and also looking into whether it could be contact related either in the home ( distinfectant etc) or on his walks (pesticides etc).
Is an ongoing process and costing a fortune .  :(
Skin scrapes only showed up excessive bacteria that is normal for dogs skin ? :rolleyes:
I am surprised how often this topic crops up in lots of different breeds though.

I seems to be anything from contact , allergy, food related , stress or boredom to name but a few

Hi Mark
It sounds like Hormones to me that haven't settled down yet. If it does carry on I would get to the vet and they may give a steroid injection just to help.

Jo

I would not leap to use steroids as my first line of attack; they tackle the symptoms not the cause and are not without side effects.

regards

My bully has this problem , he has just however been diagnosed as being allergic to house dust mites . You could just try bathing her foot in Malaseb antibacterial shampoo a couple of times a week before you decide to do anything further or take her to the vets as he is also on this treatment as well as his antihtamines.