My dog has a black skin wound, looks infected. Can I treat it myself?

A definite NO on the hydrogen peroxide! 1. It is best to shave the hair around the affected area if at all possible. If you don't have clippers you can use scissors to shorten the hair - just be careful you don't cut him. If you can't shave or trim the hair don't stress too much about it. 2. You can clean and treat all in one step with these medicated pads. Twice a day. ( https://www.chewy.com/pet-md-chlorhexidine-antiseptic-dog/dp/146635 ) 3. If he is really itching you can also apply this topical hydrocortisone spray after the wound is dry from the using the pads. Once a day should be enough. ( https://www.chewy.com/zymox-enzymatic-topical-spray/dp/125742 ) If no improvement after about 5-7 days then you should have your vet check him out. Sometimes oral antibiotics are needed to clear these up if they are bad enough. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Moonlight is such a handsome dog!! From your pictures I suspect that Moonlight has what is known as a hotspot, or moist dermatitis. You need to take him to your regular vet to have the area looked at to be sure. Your vet will likely want to shave the fur from the area and clean it thoroughly. Some hotspots respond well to topical treatment, others require systemic medications such as antibiotics and steroids. These areas of dermatitis/infection can get larger very very quickly, and can be very irritating and painful. They often are associated with some type of allergy, so your vet may need to discuss allergy testing/treatment/food trials with you as well. I hope you are able to get Moonlighy feeling better very soon!

Unfortunately hydrogen peroxide doesn't help pets with any type of skin condition. In fact we don't use it for any wounds because it can potentially cause cell necrosis (dying off of normal tissue). This appears to be a deep infection, which is likely why it hasn't healed well for you. You can try cleaning it with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water and the hair needs to be shaved around this to allow the skin to breathe and heal well. I would not place Neosporin on a wound like this, because it likely won't help. You may be able to find a hot spot spray at your local pet store that can be used. However, there is a good chance this won't heal without the help of your vet, who has stronger oral antibiotics and topical medical sprays to take care of this properly. I would schedule an appt if the Betadine and clip are not able to improve this area well within the next few days. Best wishes getting Murphy's skin to heal. Take care.

It looks like the skin in this area has become infected. It could have started as a simple wound, like you said, and then progressively became infected. To help the area heal, keep the wound clean and dry. Wash it 2x a day with a gentle antibacterial soap. You can apply some triple antibiotic ointment to it as well. You will need to keep Boomer from licking the area as best as you can. The best way to do this is by placing an E-collar on him. If this does not help the area heal in 3-5 days or if the area around the wound is swollen at all, I would recommend taking Boomer to the vet to have it evaluated. He may need oral antibiotics to get it cleared up. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Oh no. Poor guy. This area unfortunately looks infected, like a hot spot. He likely got a puncture wound and it then become infected with baceria underneath the skin. If you want this to heal well then the area should be cleaned with an antiseptic such as Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water or Chlorhexidine solution 3% diluted with water until a light blue mixture, and then a topical antibiotic should be applied. You can try using a hot spot spray from your local pet store, but make sure not to spray the area directly to avoid getting it in his eyes. Apply it to a cotton ball then apply it to the area. If you really want to help this heal well the hair can also be shaved, because hair carries bacteria. If this area does not improve within 48 hrs then a vet visit is recommended for oral antibiotics Best wishes with Kai moving forward! Take care.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I actually do think that it looks like a hot spot but honestly, I have never seen one in that location. A hot spot is really just a skin infection so it is certainly possible especially if he was scraped in that general location. I would not be overly concerned about it as it looks superficial. You can continue with the Neosporin but I think this would be better: ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/3-oz-3-fl-oz-hot-spot-antimicr-2877113 ) Also, if he is licking that area you need to get him a cone collar to wear. Licking can cause more infection and will delay healing. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/contech-procone-soft-recovery-collar-1558315 ) If you do this treatment and it is not looking better in about 5 days or so then you should have him to your vet for an exam. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

This looks like it may have been a hot spot or other bacterial skin infection. I would recommend having Timber examined by your vet to determine what the cause may be. This wound looks like it would require oral antibiotics.