My dog's ear is raw and bloody after prednisone, should I go to ER?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Some of the symptoms you mention can certainly come from either the prednisone, or the mometamax. She may be reacting to the additional steroid in the ear medication. Usually this gets better in a day or so, & fortunately, this will be at the time you begin decreasing the oral dose. Continue the oral pred. as prescribed by your veterinarian, but do not put anything else in her ear until you have a chance to talk to your vet. It is always best to be a little cautious when putting anything into the ears. I hope Nancy is feeling better very soon. Take care.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Willow has a cut on her ear. It is possible that she caused it herself by scratching, but if you did not observe it happening, she could have traumatized it on something else, or been wounded by another animal. Based on your description of the wound, I recommend bringing her to your local veterinarian to have her evaluated. At the very least, the wound likely needs to be cleaned and flushed with a sterile solution to prevent infection. Depending on how deep or infected the wound is, it may require more extensive management such as surgical closure of the wound, or bandages. Willow likely also needs an Elizabethan (cone) collar to prevent her from further traumatizing the wound. Unfortunately, dogs like to scratch at their ears and can make it very hard for wounds to heal. If the wound is superficial and Willow is otherwise healthy, you may be able to apply compression to the wound to get it to stop bleeding, and monitor it closely at home for signs of infection (redness, swelling, yellow-green discharge, foul odor). If you see any of these signs, Willow should definitely be evaluated by a veterinarian. Just a reminder, NEVER give dogs any pain medications that are intended for humans, as they can be lethally toxic to dogs. I hope this is helpful!

Poor Dahlia, it does look a bit raw. She may have been scratching herself causing this and that can be a sign of an ear infection. I don't think it's an emergency, but she should see a vet. Give her vet a call to see if you can get her in on Monday. You can gently clean that area with warm water and antiseptic soap. I would put a cone on her to keep her from scratching at it more. You can buy one at a pet store. I hope this helps!

Poor Mitzy. Leave the wound alone, putting something on it may interrupt the healing process further. Keep the Ecollar on her to keep her from itching it, and have her seen by her vet tomorrow if it's still looking bloody and raw. Best of luck.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry that Bear is having this issue. Yes, I do think you should take him to MedVet today as an urgent appointment. Typically steroids (like Prednisone) actually increase appetite so I am concerned that he has not eaten in 48 hours despite being on steroids. I hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely a hotspot which is a very inflamed focal infection. Usually these occur secondary to allergies, among other possibilities. It is very important to treat these infections appropriately and the sooner they get treated the better for the patient. I recommend that you have Buster evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They are likely going to prescribe anti-inflammatory medications and antibiotics. In the meantime, you can use an e-collar (which you may obtain from your local pet store), to avoid further self trauma by him scratching at it. Good luck and have a good night!

I would recommend putting an ecollar on Simba so he can't scratch this spot and taking him to the vet. This area may need to be shaved and scrubbed to say what is going on and he also most likely needs antibiotics. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.