Dog bite wound with stitches looks infected after licking. Vet needed?

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.

Poor guy. The fluid that you describe certainly sounds like infection. I would try to schedule a sooner appt with your regular vet to get Louie on another stronger type of antibiotic to help resolve this. For now you can flush the area with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water to help reduce the bacteria load until you can get him seen by your vet. He should be able to heal well after changing antibiotics. Best wishes with Louie moving forward. Take care.

I am sorry to hear about your dog! I would recommend bringing him in to his vet to examine the wound if it is not improving. It probably needs to be shaved and cleaned (I cannot see the actual wound in the photo so assume it is covered in fur and the wet area on the cheek). Often bites are puncture wounds and are deep and sometimes do require antibiotics to treat infection.

It would heal better and faster with stitches. If you cannot afford to have that done then just keep it clean with this wound spray linked below. DO NOT use hydrogen peroxide on it - that will actually delay healing. If after a week it is not looking better or if it gets red, swollen, has pus coming from it then you will need to get him to the vet. If he is licking it, it will not heal so you will need to get him a cone collar to wear. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-wound-and-skin-care-for-dogs ) ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-e-collar )

You can keep it clean with salt water (1 liter of water 10 teaspoons of salt) until tomorrow and then take Jess to your veterinarian. No need to rush. A buster collar would be useful to avoid any licking. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

It looks like there is infection. Astro should be evaluated by a vet as soon as possible. He likely needs oral antibiotics since infection stalls the healing process. The vet will also clean the area to assess the health of the skin. Sometimes the stitches need to be removed and the wound can be healed "open," meaning that the stitches are not replaced and scar tissue fills in the defect. On a foot, this is often accomplished by bandaging with frequent bandage changes, and possibly topical medications, as well.

It's not easy to see the extent of the puncture from the picture, but it appears somewhat minor. It's always best to have a vet examine it and provide treatment, so if you can have him seen in the next 24 hours, that would be great, but may not be necessary. The first thing you should do is 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 Finn to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Infection is the biggest concern with these wounds; so after flushing, it's best to apply the Neosporin cream to the wound. In order to keep the wound clean, it's best to flush the wound 1-2 times a day and gently wipe away any big crusts - make sure not to scrub the wound, because this can make it worse. Apply the antibacterial cream after each flushing. If the wound starts to swell or have pus oozing from the wound, then I'd recommend he goes to the vet for treatment. Otherwise, the wound should heal fine over the next 2-3 weeks. I hope that helps and Finn gets better soon.