Dog fight: my dog has a neck injury under fur. Should I shave it?

Poor Lucky! I'm glad to hear that his vet will be checking him out tomorrow. From the picture, the skin lesion looks most like a hot spot (aka acute moist dermatitis). If you have clippers on hand, you can try to carefully trip the hair over and around this skin lesion to allow for better air flow. You can also gently clean his skin with an antiseptic solution, such as diluted chlorhexidine or diluted betadine, but be sure to rinse and dry thoroughly. If Lucky is scratching at his neck, it would be best to put an e-collar (cone) on until his appointment. The vet may need to prescribe antibiotics, steroids, or topical sprays to help this lesion to heal. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Takoda! I would try to shave all the fur away from the area and check closely for other wounds. Then clean the skin with water and a mild soap. Avoid hydrogen peroxide as it can damage the skin. Then apply a triple antibiotic ointment twice daily. If there is a large full thickness gash or puncture it is best to have Takoda seen by a Vet to see if surgery is warranted or oral antibiotics. I hope this helps and I wish Takoda the best!

I would recommend clipping and cleaning the area as you can't really see much with all the fur, then apply antibiotic cream on it 2-3 times a day. if it doesn't get any better within 72 hours i would recommend taking her to your vet to get ti treated.

It sounds like your dog has a skin infection so he should be examined by a vet to determine the exact cause. It could be secondary to an injury or possibly allergies. He may need an oral antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory to help treat the problem.

This is commonly seen when they get a skin infection (aka hot-spots). The neck is a common place for this to happen, because moisture often gets trapped under their collar and/or loose skin. It appears to be minor, so you can try a couple of things at home to get clear the infection. 1) Clip the hair around the area and expose all of the lesion(s). There may be more than one of these. 2) Wash the area with warm water and a medicated shampoo (can get this at the pet store) once a day. Use a cloth and gently wipe away the scabs. Do not scrub, because it will irritate the skin more. It's OK if all of the scabs do not come off in each washing. 3) Make sure the area is completely dry after washing. 4) Leave the collar off. You should start seeing good results within a week after starting this. It may take a few weeks before it's completely cleared. If two weeks go by and it's not getting any better, then it's best to have a veterinarian exam it. Also, if it appears to get worse, then take him to the vet for treatment. I hope that helps and this gets cleared up soon.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jack. He will need to see his veterinarian this week. The wound will likely be cleaned and the surrounding hair shaved to further evaluate it. Regardless of the cause, he will likely require antibiotics. In the meantime prevent him from scratching the area. You may check his ears as well. Some dogs with ear infections will cause self trauma from scratching itchy ears. Check for any redness or debris in the ears. I hope this information helps!

You may want to remove Lucy's collar while this heals. Sometimes a rubbing collar can irritate a wound. Make sure that the collar isn't too tight, but usually injuring related to a too tight collar are more horizontal along the neck. If it does not appear deep and she isn't scratching at it, just keep clean and dry to and monitor to make sure it's healing. If there is any discharge or foul odors she may have an infection and require a veterinary visit.