My dog bit his leg. Is the wound healing or infected? What to do?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to see that T is having this problem. A few things are possible here. I am assuming that the original wound never healed, only got better. If that's the case then I would suspect either a foreign body has entered the leg or an insect/spider/other has bitten him that started the entire problem. Puncture wounds can look very different over time so it may have been only one small puncture wound from the inciting event. I would advise taking T back to your veterinarian so they can recheck the wound and possibly rethink what is going on. (Assuming they saw it initially) after it first happened. They may want to culture the wound and run a sensitivity of the bugs that grow out of the culture to determine what antibiotics would be best. They may also advise some x-rays to determine if a foreign body has entered the leg although this can be of questionable value depending what the foreign body could be. Exploring the wound might be another option. All of these can be discussed with your veterinarian and I have made some assumptions here and could be wrong. I wish you the best of luck with T and I hope you get to the bottom of this very soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely infected. I think it would be best to have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check the extent of the wounds and see what would be best to treat them. What you can do in the meantime is use an e-collar in the to prevent further injury. You can buy that at your local pet store or online. Good luck and have a great day!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is very hard to say if the wound is infected or not without examining your dog in full. In general, infected wounds are discharging, smelly, hot and painful to touch. Many dogs with infected wounds are generally unwell. A visit at your local vets is recommended to assess the wound and decide on the best treatment for Oreo. I suspect he may be prescribed an antibiotic cream or ointment to speed up healing.

Hi and thanks for posting! You can try washing the area with soap and water a couple times a day and keeping it as clean and dry as possible. It looks like Bear has been licking the area frequently which may be a reason why it is not healing as easily, so I would try and keep an E-Collar on her to prevent her from licking and bothering the lesion. Certainly, if despite your best efforts it is not healing properly or is worsening, Bear should see his veterinarian to have the lesion evaluated. The lesion may be infected and may require the use of systemic antibiotics to help treat. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It looks like the skin in this area has become infected. It could have started as a simple wound, like you said, and then progressively became infected. To help the area heal, keep the wound clean and dry. Wash it 2x a day with a gentle antibacterial soap. You can apply some triple antibiotic ointment to it as well. You will need to keep Boomer from licking the area as best as you can. The best way to do this is by placing an E-collar on him. If this does not help the area heal in 3-5 days or if the area around the wound is swollen at all, I would recommend taking Boomer to the vet to have it evaluated. He may need oral antibiotics to get it cleared up. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry to hear Rumple was bitten by another dog. Based on the photos, it looks like the wound is draining a little, which is a good thing. However, I cannot say with certainty it is not still infected. Given Rumple was just started on antibiotics, he likely needs the full two weeks for it to heal. I would monitor for any pain or swelling in that area, worsening discharge or foul smelling odor or anything else concerning like incompetence, vomiting or diarrhea. If Rumple is otherwise OK, I would say it is fine to continue to monitor him and continue his previously prescribed medication. In fact, I would send these photos to your veterinarian who looked at Rumple two days ago. They would be able to compare the photos and let you know if they think the wound has gotten worse or not. I hope this has been helpful!

The most important thing to do is stop his licking by using a cone. Then clean the wound with a warm damp cloth and apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. The skin discoloring is from licking. This should heal in a few days to a week once he leaves it alone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dog.