My dog has an infected lump on his head. Can I treat it at home?

You should give the antibiotics a couple days to work, i am hoping that by Sunday you will start seeing some improvement. if by Monday it is not getting better take him back to the vet, it might need to be opened surgically in order to drain the fluids that are accumulating on that spot.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Ghost! Based on your picture it appears that Ghost has an infected mass on her back. You can clean it gently with water and a mild soap twice daily then apply a triple antibiotic cream. If she can lick it then you should use an Elizabethan collar (cone) to prevent that. If it is a mass it could be benign or cancerous. It may not heal with out the mass being removed. If it gets worse of their isn't improvement in 7 days I would take her to your Vet. I hope this help!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have Lucy evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! From your pictures, it looks as if Pablo had a pustule that you drained, is this correct? If so, this could be the start of a superficial bacterial skin infection. In which case, I would get him into your veterinarian to be seen so that he can receive the appropriate treatments. If you are unable to be seen right away, you can start some therapies until you see your veterinarian. I recommend Duoxo Chlorhexidine PS shampoo to help treat skin infections and also start omega 3 fish oil such as Canine Welactin. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions / concerns.

That growth may be a tumor or a cyst that ruptured. It is infected and has a very large open spot. the only thing you can do at home is keep the area clean and get an e collar from a pet store to prevent him from licking it and making it worse. It will need to be seen by a vet for antibiotics and possibly surgery to have it removed or this may be a repetitive cycle

I am sorry to hear that Love isn’t doing well. The picture looks like a possible abscess. If a veterinarian is not a possibility then I would encourage you to warm compress the area several times a day with warm water and Epsom salts if you have them. I would, however, encourage you to have her evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. She likely needs antibiotics and it may get worse if left untreated. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Many times these types of cysts will resolve on their own. You can use a medicated shampoo like Dechra DermaBenSs Shampoo that will help flush the follicle. However, if it gets big enough, it can sometimes get infected and need treatment from a vet. Try to avoid squeezing these cysts as you can cause some more damage. Here is a helpful article on sebaceous cysts, which I think is what you may be seeing: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/08/16/sebaceous-cysts.aspx