How to tell if my dog's bite wound is healing or an abscess?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly an infection site though it is hard to really see well based on a picture. An examination would be really helpful in determining what is the most likely cause. Since it has already started improving, I would recommend you continue monitoring this. If you notice any discharge, bleeding or pain from it, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This lump you describe could potentially be something like an abscess for example. However, other things are possible. If there is really an abscess, this should not be treated at home. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If an abscess was noted, further local therapy with drainage and antibiotics would be recommended. Good luck and best wishes!

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear this. Dog attacks can be quite stressful. The main problem with bite wounds is that you have to let the wounds declare themselves before knowing exactly what is going to happen at the end. It sounds like Zara's wound got infected and has now formed an abscess. She can develop a fever from this and this can make her feel quite sick. Also, it would be ideal to know the true extent of her injuries. For this reason, I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Your veterinarian would be able to prescribe medications for pain control and also antibiotics to treat her infection which is the only way it can resolve. Good luck! Keeping my fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It can be normal for a healing abscess to feel warm to the touch due to inflamation. I recommend contacting the vet that treated her to see if they would like to recheck her or if it may be time to remove the drain. I hope this helps.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend having this treated sooner rather than later and get in as soon as you can to have this taken care of. This appears to be an abscess and has ruptured. This needs to be drained and flushed out with an antiseptic solution as well as having him placed on oral antibiotics. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor girl! This actually look more like a scab from some mild trauma. While I do not see evidence of a bite in that picture, that is still possible and an examination would be needed to determine that for sure. Because it is small and mild, I think it would be ok to treat at home. You may apply a thin film of triple antibiotic ointment on the affected area twice daily for 5 days. If this does not improve or resolves, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. There is a very good chance that this will improve quickly. However, if you notice any signs of worsening, like severe swelling, have her evaluated. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry to hear Rumple was bitten by another dog. Based on the photos, it looks like the wound is draining a little, which is a good thing. However, I cannot say with certainty it is not still infected. Given Rumple was just started on antibiotics, he likely needs the full two weeks for it to heal. I would monitor for any pain or swelling in that area, worsening discharge or foul smelling odor or anything else concerning like incompetence, vomiting or diarrhea. If Rumple is otherwise OK, I would say it is fine to continue to monitor him and continue his previously prescribed medication. In fact, I would send these photos to your veterinarian who looked at Rumple two days ago. They would be able to compare the photos and let you know if they think the wound has gotten worse or not. I hope this has been helpful!