What to do if my dog has a bleeding, pus-filled wound near his ears?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Rosie! From the pictures it looks like Rosie may have a hot spot (superficial skin infection). Hot spots can start off small then spread quickly and become larger and painful. Goldens commonly get them from ear infections or from being wet from swimming. I recommend that you take her to the Vet today. The Vet will clip the fur away, clean the area and prescribe antibiotics, steroids, and likely something topical. They will check for an ear infection and prescribe ear wash and ear drops if needed. I hope this helps and I hope Rosie has a speedy recovery!

This is likely to be due to a folliculitis secondary to superficial bacterial infection of the skin.A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching (if any). 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

If this presentation is due to a trauma and secondary localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria), a check up, appropriate disinfection and antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Yes I would recommend to have them prescribed by your vet. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching. 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Unfortunately, if you are seeing pus there are no home remedies to fight infection. He likely requires an antibiotic, either topical or systemic. If going to visit a veterinarian is an option, cleaning up the wound as best you can and applying something over-the-counter to the ear is your next best choice. I would also tell you to either obtain an e-collar or make a homemade one (you can view how to do so on a YouTube video, there are several). This will prevent Buster from having any sort of self-mutilation. Ears are very difficult to bandage, particularly to get them to stay on. But, in a situation where a dog is going to be out in the elements, it is critically important to try and prevent worsening infection or even things like maggots. You can find some more YouTube videos on how to best bandage a dog's ear. Since I don't know what ear type (flop, cropped, pointet) your pup has, it is difficult for me to make a video recommendation. Best of luck.

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 presentation could be due to a trauma (bite wound) and/ or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be continued at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths (twice daily). I would recommend to shave fur around the wound (clippers are best as if you do it with scissors you may injury him) to be able to clean the area best as possible. After cleaning you can dry it up and apply any cream containing zinc oxide (like sudocream). Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. 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.

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!