My dog has an infected wound. What's the cause and best treatment?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is impossible to tell from the picture how this happened, or how deep it is, but what can be determined is that it is a severely infected wound. Possible causes are penetrating traumas (sticks, bites, etc.), some parasites/worms can cause wounds like this, and some tumors can present in abnormal ways, however that is less likely. I strongly recommend that you have Star seen by a vet as soon as possible, as the wound appears deep and is definitely infected. It needs to be cleaned up, explored, and medications provided. Best of luck with Star, I hope she feels better soon!

This looks much worse than a simple hot spot. The black part is an area of necrosis (dead skin/tissue) and the rest of the pink area looks fairly deep. This could be an insect bite like from a spider. You can try to apply Neosporin or another type of topical antibiotic ointment/cream few days to a week to see if it gets better. If it doesn't or it gets worse then I suggest you find a way to get Sam to a vet. Do not put hydrogen peroxide on this wound - that would delay healing. I found these clinics in your area that may be affordable for you if needed: ( http://www.valuepetclinic.com/ ) ( http://www.puyallupvalleyvet.com/ ) ( http://www.thehumanesociety.org/ ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

This looks like a local abscess from a bite wound or an insect bite or if there is a mass there it could have been a cyst that got infected. If he is licking it, I recommend to place a cone collar to prevent him from doing that. Also I would clean it with a mild anti-bacterial soap and water. You can try putting some neosporin on it but if it isn't improving, you will likely need to see your vet for an exam and some oral antibiotics to get rid of the infection. I hope this helps.

Poor Baxter! This looks like quite a deep wound, and it appears to be infected. I can't say from looking what might have caused it - it's possible that this could be a skin growth of some kind that has become infected and burst open, or he may have injured himself somehow. Regardless, this is definitely something that needs to be seen by a veterinarian - using topical antibiotic ointment will not be enough to treat it effectively. Your veterinarian can prescribe oral antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds, and may also recommend taking a biopsy of the affected area or other testing if needed to help determine what's going on.

It looks like he has a hot spot that appears infected. He should be examined by a vet for treatment. Your vet can prescribe an antibiotic, antihistamine, and/or a corticosteroid to help treat the infection.

It is infected and hard to see past the hair and drainage. It may be a scratch or puncture from some form of trauma either rubbing against something, a bite, or a hot spot. It does need to be seen by your vet for wound care and antibiotics. Until you can get him in, you can clean the area with soap and water to help flush the discharge out and clean it out. Then apply an antibiotic ointment such as Neosporin to keep it clean until you can get it examined

It just appears to be a wound or a hot spot. I don't think it looks tick related. I suggest you use this wound spray on it until it is healed. If it looks worse at any time have your vet check it out. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-wound-and-skin-care-for-dogs )