My dog's neck scab is hard, yellow, and not healing. What's wrong?

Whiskey has a skin infection and it looks to affect a fairly large area. Dogs can get skin infections for many reasons including flea bites, hot spots, yeast infections, allergies, skin mites and ringworm (which humans can get). Whiskey needs to see the veterinarian within the next 24 hours to start treatment and stop continued spread of the infection. Generally these pets will need the hair shaved and the area cleaned, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and some sort of protection (like an elizabethan collar) to prevent any scratching (this can make it worse). For now, Whiskey should wear a harness with his tags instead of the collar since the collar may be rubbing on the skin. The doctor may be able to determine the underlying cause from the exam or they may recommend a few basic diagnostics. I hope this helps and that he heals quickly.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. What you can do in the meantime is use an e-collar to prevent further self-injury. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

This looks like a scab. He could have gotten this after a little bug bite, a local skin infection, a minor injury from being in the yard, or something else. Since it is so small, I would not be too concerned right now. If it isn't healing, you see discharge, you find more spots, or this spot gets larger, I would have your vet take a look at it to see if he needs any oral meds or other treatment to help it heal. I hope this helps !

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Smith. He appears to have a small wound, irritation or potentially a growth. I recommend keeping his collar off (if it is safe to do so) so you can monitor to the area. Keep it clean and dry and it should heal within a few days. If this does not happen, then he will need to see his veterinarian. In this case, he would be examined to look for other signs of skin disease. Then the veterinarian will prescribed medication to help him heal. In the meantime, it is not necessary to apply an over-the-counter medication. I hope this information helps!

Anytime there is an injury to the skin, a scab should form and should stay in place until the skin underneath is completely healed. If the area of Tula's scab was deep, it can take a while for the skin underneath to completely heal enough for the scab to fall off. If the area around the scab is red or oozing or the scabbed area is enlarging, then I would recommend having Tula examined by your veterinarian. Otherwise, it may just take a little longer to heal on its own. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. If things are pretty static it is best just to leave the scab alone. Chances are at some point it will fall off. Most likely another scab will form & the process will repeat itself. The scab is somewhat protective, so I agree with your vet & leave the scab alone. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This presentation is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.