My dog's ear won't heal, raw, bleeding, hair loss. What should I do?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely a hotspot which is a very inflamed focal infection. Usually these occur secondary to allergies, among other possibilities. It is very important to treat these infections appropriately and the sooner they get treated the better for the patient. I recommend that you have Buster evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They are likely going to prescribe anti-inflammatory medications and antibiotics. In the meantime, you can use an e-collar (which you may obtain from your local pet store), to avoid further self trauma by him scratching at it. Good luck and have a good night!

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics or antifungal meds (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can possibly be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar is useful as well to avoid any scratching (as you have used). Hope this answer was helpful, but 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.

Because it is localized to the one spot than you can alternate neosporin with cortisone cream to help keep it clean and take away some of the itching. It does not appear scarred so hair should regrow when it heals. If it doesn't improve in the next day or so your vet can prescribe oral medication to help with the itching and infection

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Simba. Poor boy! I suspect he has an ear infection, which can be caused by yeast or bacteria. If he's bleeding from both ears, this is a very bad infection and could constitute an emergency. I would find to a vet to see him now to get this treated. Leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss. I hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Willow has a cut on her ear. It is possible that she caused it herself by scratching, but if you did not observe it happening, she could have traumatized it on something else, or been wounded by another animal. Based on your description of the wound, I recommend bringing her to your local veterinarian to have her evaluated. At the very least, the wound likely needs to be cleaned and flushed with a sterile solution to prevent infection. Depending on how deep or infected the wound is, it may require more extensive management such as surgical closure of the wound, or bandages. Willow likely also needs an Elizabethan (cone) collar to prevent her from further traumatizing the wound. Unfortunately, dogs like to scratch at their ears and can make it very hard for wounds to heal. If the wound is superficial and Willow is otherwise healthy, you may be able to apply compression to the wound to get it to stop bleeding, and monitor it closely at home for signs of infection (redness, swelling, yellow-green discharge, foul odor). If you see any of these signs, Willow should definitely be evaluated by a veterinarian. Just a reminder, NEVER give dogs any pain medications that are intended for humans, as they can be lethally toxic to dogs. I hope this is helpful!

Poor Mitzy. Leave the wound alone, putting something on it may interrupt the healing process further. Keep the Ecollar on her to keep her from itching it, and have her seen by her vet tomorrow if it's still looking bloody and raw. Best of luck.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on your description, it sounds like Simba is dealing with allergies. There are different products over in India than there are here so I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Simba to give you the most appropriate recommendations. I hope this helps! Simba most likely needs to be put on an anti-allergy medications. 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!