My dog was bitten by another dog, wound open. Should I see a vet?

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor Gracie! It’s tough to be certain of the severity of her wounds without examining myself, but fortunately those wounds don’t appear to be too serious from the photos. I think it’s unlikely that she’ll need stitches. However, bite wounds tend to get infected, so I would bring Gracie in to your vet when they open tomorrow, as they’ll likely want to start her on antibiotics. In the meantime, keep those wounds clean by gently washing them with warm soapy water (Dawn dish soap works well). I hope this helps and she feels better!

Hi and thanks for posting! Sometimes bite wounds can leave pockets in the skin making the wound worse than they appear initially. It would be a good idea for this to be evaluated by a veterinarian. Your veterinarian will asses the area for pockets in the skin and asses whether or not stitches are needed. It seems small enough for tissue glue to be used but the wound may need to be closed with a stitch or two. A lot of bacteria is intro introduced into the skin and surrounding tissue during a bite. Brisquette may need systemic antibiotics as well to help lessen the chance of developing an infection. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Poor Faith! Depending on how recently this happened and how clean the wound is now, it's very possible that it would be a good idea to stitch this. At the very least, it's deep enough that it looks like it will need antibiotics to prevent infection. I would recommend taking Faith to the vet today to have this checked, if you can. He/she can trim the hair away from the area and flush out the wound, and will determine if it needs to be sutured or not based on how things look at that time. Your vet can also prescribe antibiotics and pain medication if needed.

He needs to be taken to the vet as it looks infected, he will need a course of antibiotics, i don't think this will require stitching but a bandage with a local cream may also be needed to help it heal faster.

Hi there, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. That appears to be full thickness through the skin, and would likely benefit from sutures. Additionally, bite wounds have a very high likelihood of becoming infected without systemic (oral) antibiotics, so Hazel should be seen by the vet to get started on antibiotics. Hope this helps.

Hi! I am so sorry to hear that Roscoe is injured! The wound appears to be inflamed and as dog bites or any deep wound often become infected. I recommend taking him to your vet in the next 24 hours, sooner if he seems to feel poorly or if he has other wounds. They will likely clip the hair, clean the wound and see how extensive it is. If they think it necessary, they will recommend antibiotics and/or pain/swelling medication. Keep an eye on it after you visit to ensure it heals appropriately and he does not lick at it. I hope this is helpful and he feels better soon!

It's a bit difficult to tell from these pictures, but it does appear deep and wide enough that it will need stitches. It's best to take him to a vet soon, because the wound will heal better the sooner it is cleaned and stitched. For now, you can flush the wound using a syringe or other dispensing device with warm water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because dogs tend to hate water getting near their face. I recommend having someone help you with holding Wish to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Infection is the biggest concern with these wounds; so after flushing, it's best to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound. Your vet will be able to advise further treatment after evaluating it. I hope that helps and Wish gets better soon.