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My dog has an infected bite near his private area and is lethargic.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 62 lbs

My dog Luke is a 2 or 3 year old German Shepard, Chow Chow mix. I realized that he has what I belive to be a spider bite right below his penis. We have cleaned it but it is now infected and he does try to lick it a lot, he does not act himself anymore and does not want to play anymore or stand at all, he mostly lays down. I would appreciate it if I was told what you belives what is wrong with him. Thank you for your time. (the first two pictures are from yesterday and the last one is from today)

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Sarah Derksen, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 28th, 2017

Hi. Good photo. It is hard to know if this is a bug/arachnid bite or something else. It does look very inflamed and infected. I would recommend getting him in for a check and some antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM
Veterinarian
A spider bite is definitely a possibility here, based on your photos. The fact that it is so inflamed and infected, warrants a vet visit for sure. He also is lethargic so that is cause for concern that he has a systemic infection possibly going on now, which is never good and can prolong his recovery. He needs to be seen right away for bloodwork analysis to determine if this has affected any of his organs and to also get a bigger picture of his health status, and then he will likely need this area cleansed antiseptically and placed on oral antibiotics and pet friendly anti-inflammatory medication to get him well again. Poor guy. You can try cleansing this area with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water tonight, if available, this will help clean it topically. I hope that your pet Luke feels better soon and that he is able to make a full and speedy recovery. Best wishes and take care.
0Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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