My dog has a crusty, bloody sore on her hip. What should I do?

It looks like she has a hot spot that is infected. Have her examined by a vet for treatment. Your vet can shave the area and clean it with an antiseptic wound cleaner. She may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, corticosteroid to help treat. You can also bathe her with a medicated dog shampoo and see if that helps.

In your picture it looks like there might be a small skin growth in the center of the ring like skin lesion, so if there is still a raised area I would recommend seeing your veterinarian. Some skin growths are benign and can be monitored while others should be removed. The areas of crusty debris could be from trauma, or potentially an infection secondary to allergies. If these areas do not improve in the next few days or if new skin lesions develop I'd also recommend seeing your vet.

Based on the location (it appears to be just to the side and just below the anus), an anal gland abscess may have ruptured. I doubt it’s an insect bite, but I can’t rule that out completely. It could also be another type of mass such as a tumor or a foreign body (such as a grass seed) that’s burrowed into the skin and caused an abscess. Regardless, your instincts are correct; this likely needs to be treated with antibiotics. Put an E -collar (cone of shame) on him and make an appointment with your vet ASAP. Hope that’s helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like it could be a sebaceous cyst that got infected and ruptured. These are benign but sometimes they do keep opening and become bothersome to the pet until you surgically remove them. That being said, in a dog of this age, I always recommend seeing your vet for a closer inspection and a needle aspirate if needed- just to make sure it’s something benign. For now, I recommend an E-collar for Hank so that he can lick/chew at it. Then clean the wound with some hydrogen peroxide. Best wishes to you and Hank!

It's difficult to tell from your pictures what this is, but it does appear that it may be infected. Even if she can't reach it to lick or chew, if it is itchy or painful she may be scratching it with a foot or even rubbing on the ground or furniture to scratch it. I would recommend a vet visit to assess the spot and determine what it may be. If it is getting larger it could be a mass or growth, or infection/hotspot that requires antibiotics. The vet may clip away the hair from the lesion and possibly do a cytology to find out what type of cells or infection are present. From there appropriate treatment can be determined.

He should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. He could have an infection, cyst, mass, etc. and your vet can do a needle aspirate, if needed, to help diagnose and then determine the best way to treat. He may need an antibiotic and and anti-inflammatory to treat the problem.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Judging from the photis, this appears to have a raised area in the center. This could be a sebaceous cyst that ruptured and is now secondarily infected or has an open wound on it that won't heal. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at this and have some additional testing performed on it to determine what it could be. With more information on what this could be, the most appropriate treatment can then be started. If you are unable to get to your vet right now, I would recommend using an ointment called zymox topical ointment to apply to the area. If the ointment does not help aftwr 5-7 days or it worsens during that time, I would get kane to the vet for an exam. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.