The 1st thing you should always do is take your dog to a Vet. It could be a number of things. That being said the same thing happened to my female boxer. The 1st time was about 4 years ago. The Vet gave me a cream, others recommended different creams, I tried them all with no major success. It eventually went away. Then occurred a few years later but worse, more antiseptic washes and creams. PHYTOVET CK Antiseptic Shampoo and rinse will temporarily sooth the redness but will come back in a few days. You might get lucky and this will work for your dog. DON’T buy it at the VET they charge twice the price. try VETDEPOT.com. Anyway, this last time the Vet said she had an autoimmune disease – wanted to give her steroids, she is 12 1/2 yrs old – it would have ruined her kidneys. The last time was the worst, she could barely walk. I tried IN® Supplement, I have used this on my other boxers. It worked like a CHARM!!!!! After about 1 week the swelling subsides, in a month she was healed on all paws. It is a supplement you have to continue to give, it’s not that expensive and better than drugs. If there is anyway to contact me, let me know if any of these works. Good Luck.