My dog has an open sore on her ear. What should I do to heal it?

It looks like Snoop has an infection in the skin. These are generally bacterial in nature although fungal infections and mites are also a possibility. Sometimes these can be treated topically by cleaning the area in a medicated shampoo every other day and applying topical medication. For very itchy lesions or ones not responding to topical therapy within a few days, the veterinarian can prescribe medications that will heal it faster. It is also important to protect the area from Snoop's nails scratching it. Hope he starts feeling better soon.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I'm sorry that Lucy is having this problem. It is odd that the infection has cleared up but she still has sores on the ear flap. Is she scratching at the ears? If so, you really need to get her a cone collar to wear to prevent scratching. As long as she is scratching them, the will not heal. You can get a soft sided cone similar to this one: ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RV2VG7Y ) You can certainly continue to apply Neosporin and it should not hurt her. She is probably just very sensitive and expecting the ears to hurt when you touch them. If you can apply the Neosporin twice daily for one week consistently the sores should heal. If they do not heal in that time frame, you need to take her back to your vet to figure out what is going on or go to a different vet for a second opinion. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Annie is adorable! This lesion certainly could be irritation from an injury, but could also be related to ringworm or mange. You can try cleaning the area with an antiseptic solution (diluted chlorhexidine or betadine) 1-2 times per day, taking care to rinse and dry thoroughly. Also keep an e-collar (cone) on Annie until the lesion heals, because it will not heal if she is scratching or rubbing at the lesion. That said, if this does not start to improve in another week, Annie will need to go to her vet for further evaluation. The vet may need to perform skin scrapes (to check for the mites that cause mange) or a fungal culture (to look for ringworm). I hope that all goes well!

Hi. It's hard to tell what may have caused Charlie's sore. If he is scratching constantly be sure he doesn't have fleas or ticks. Or ear infections can sometimes cause dogs to scratch sores behind or near thier ears. If not oozing just keep it clean and prevent him from scratching it. Sometimes trimming the nails on the foot that is scratching may help a bit of the nails are sharp. Or putting a sock on that foot to cushion the scratching. If it gets worse or he won't leave it alone he may need a vet visit. And just using water is perfect to clean it. Don't use peroxide or alcohol as that can irritate and make him scratch it more.

I would recommend putting an ecollar on Simba so he can't scratch this spot and taking him to the vet. This area may need to be shaved and scrubbed to say what is going on and he also most likely needs antibiotics. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This sore could just be from an injury. I would gently clean it with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep him from scratching at it, you can put an Ecollar on him. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and he will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. I'd also have him seen by a vet if the sore doesn't appear to be healing over the next week. I will put a link below on how to make an Ecollar at home. Best of luck, I hope this helps! http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html

I am sorry to hear about your concern for Saki. It is a bit difficult to really see the lesion in these photos. If it looks like a whitehead pimple (has a whitish colored center) you can try cleaning it with an antibacterial soap such as Hibiclens (available at most drug stores) and applying a topical antibiotic ointment twice daily. If it is not resolving within a week or if it is increasing in size a vet visit is recommended. You can also try warm compresses for 15 minutes a few times a day if it looks like it might come to a head and drain. If it is more of a solid mass then it could be a small tumor. We can have benign (non harmful) tumors of the skin, but with any potential tumor it is safest to have your vet examine the area.