My puppy's frostbitten tail has a red bump. Is it healing or infected?

It’s hard to say if he tail is infected since it just looks crusty now with the treatment. It does look swollen. Test it for pain or being able to feel heat as this can indicate infection. If that is detected, try to get him into the veterinarian ASAP. Applying sterile petroleum jelly can also help condition the skin and promote healing. The biggest component is to prevent more trauma. He ears do not appear red or seem to have an excessive amount of debris so I would say that look normal to me. Definitely keep an eye on the ears for redness, odor or shaking the head as this indicates a problem. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This looks like an infected cyst. Dogs have a scent area on their tails that can enlarge and get infected such as this. You can apply a hot compress to the area several times daily to see if it will drain. That will increase the blood supply to help it heal faster. Bringing Ben in for an exam would confirm a diagnosis and they would probably prescribe antibiotics which would lessen the healing time. This doesn't look like a mass to me, so it should resolve quickly with treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Ben.

It sounds like he has a skin infection that needs to be treated again. Maybe he needed to stay on the antibiotics longer, either topical or oral. The bump could be related to the infection, a cyst, or a mass. It may respond to an antibiotic or your vet may need to biopsy or remove it to determine the exact cause. Please call your vet and schedule a recheck appointment. Hope he gets better soon!

I'm suspicious that this is due to trauma given the appearance and the fact that it just showed-up. This can happen when they get their tail caught under something (like a car tire). It doesn't look like something that needs to go to the vet right away, so it's OK to treat it and monitor it at home for now. If it doesn't get better in 2 weeks, or it starts to look worse, then I'd recommend taking her to the vet for an evaluation. Here are my recommendations for treatment: 1) Ice the area for 15 minutes twice a day. 2) Wash/spray the area with just cool, clean water (no soap or other antiseptics) for at least 2 minutes at a time. Do this at least twice a day. 3) Bandage the wound with gauze and apply an over-the-counter antibacterial cream (i.e Neosporin) to the wound. Keeping it covered and keeping Oakley from licking it will be the most difficult part of the treatment. You can help keep the bandage on by placing a good (really sticky) tape above and below the bandage. You can find sprays in the pet store, like bitter apple, that are meant to deter licking. This can be sprayed on the bandage (not the wound) to help keep Oakley from chewing it off. NOTE: Be careful not to bandage too tight or it can cut-off the circulation. If you notice that the end of the tail start to swell, then remove the bandage and leave it off until the swelling goes down. I hope that helps and Oakley gets better soon.

Meg's incision looks a little inflamed but thats not necessarily unusual. Antibiotics are not indicated unless an infection is present. Watch it for any swelling or discharge. Monitor the redness over the next 24 hours to see if it is increasing or decreasing. Make sure Meg is taking her pain medication as I bet that is uncomfortable. Also make sure Meg is not licking it AT ALL as this will make it infected. When in doubt, call her vet and get her checked out. Thank you for using Pet Coach!

It could be an allergic reaction to an insect bite or a traumatic wound. Itchy bumps are almost always allergic in nature however. You can try topical soothing creams (sold at your local pet store) for allergic reactions, and cleaning it with chlorhexidine solution 3% or iodine diluted 50:50 with warm water. This will help some with the inflammation. If it still isn't better after 24-48 hrs then it is best to have your vet take a look at it and potentially give her stronger medications to treat it.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Tato. Necrosis of the tail is a very serious condition that typically occurs after tail surgery or serious injury. He may have a scab on the end of his tail from repeating damaging from wagging it when he gets excited. Pit bulls can also be prone to an overgrowth of mites known as Demodex. This is usually bald or scabby lesions. Ringworm can also make a crusty lesion. While it is likely not a serious problem for him, it is best for him to see his veterinarian to know for sure. He should certainly be seen though if the lesion grows, bleeds or starts to bother him. I hope this information helps!