Dog nose bite swelling after 3 days. Scared of vet, help!

Hello. That is a pretty nasty reaction/infection. I would definitely recommend antibiotics for a situation like this. You will need to see your veterinarian who can examine the area & start Lilly on the appropriate therapy to clean things up. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor guy. I can understand your hesitation to take him in. It does look swollen and could very welll just be a bug bite. I would continue the small thin layer of Neosporin twice a day and continue to monitor this thing. You can also try cold compresses on it (if tolerated) for roughly 5 mins twice a day. There isn’t much else you can do for this that is available over the counter. If it does not improve or resolve within a week or two, then you will need to get your vet involved unfortunately. A skin mass would be the number one suspicion if it does not resolve itself, and a biopsy or fine needle aspirate will be the next step towards identifying what kind of mass it is. Hopefully this resolves on its own and you don’t have to go that route. Best of luck to you and MJ. I hope everything works out well for him. Take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is not possible to know what is exactly going on just based on a picture. This could be due to an infection or an allergic reaction for example. I would highly recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and treat accordingly. Good luck!

Unfortunately, we cannot (legally and ethically) advise giving prescription medication for a condition that we can't fully evaluate through this service. It's difficult to know how bad the wound is without seeing it, but I'll give you some general wound care advice: 1) Clip the hair around the area and expose all of the sore skin. 2) Wash/spray the area with just cool, clean water (no soap or other antiseptics) for at least 5 minutes at a time. Do this at least twice a day. 3) Bandage the wound (if possible) with gauze and apply an over-the-counter antibacterial cream (i.e Neosporin) to the wound. Keeping it covered and keeping Zoe from licking it will be the most difficult part of the treatment. You can help keep the bandage on by placing a good (really sticky) tape above and below the bandage. You can find sprays in the pet store, like bitter apple, that are meant to deter licking. This can be sprayed on the bandage (not the wound) to help keep Zoe from chewing it off. NOTE: Be careful not to bandage too tight around legs, or it can cut-off the circulation. If you notice that the toes/foot starts to swell, then remove the bandage and leave it off until the swelling goes down. It's difficult for me to know how severe this is without evaluating her, but in severe cases it's recommended that she gets professional treatment, or she can have life-threatening complications. I understand that money is an issue, but there are often various options in these cases and I recommend contacting a local animal rescue for advice about affordable veterinary care. If you have further questions or need further clarification, then you may consider having an online consult with one of our vets on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This way, you can send unlimited pictures and have a text conversation with a vet. I hope that helps and Zoe gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor girl! This actually look more like a scab from some mild trauma. While I do not see evidence of a bite in that picture, that is still possible and an examination would be needed to determine that for sure. Because it is small and mild, I think it would be ok to treat at home. You may apply a thin film of triple antibiotic ointment on the affected area twice daily for 5 days. If this does not improve or resolves, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. There is a very good chance that this will improve quickly. However, if you notice any signs of worsening, like severe swelling, have her evaluated. Good luck and have a great day!

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Poor Gracie! It’s tough to be certain of the severity of her wounds without examining myself, but fortunately those wounds don’t appear to be too serious from the photos. I think it’s unlikely that she’ll need stitches. However, bite wounds tend to get infected, so I would bring Gracie in to your vet when they open tomorrow, as they’ll likely want to start her on antibiotics. In the meantime, keep those wounds clean by gently washing them with warm soapy water (Dawn dish soap works well). I hope this helps and she feels better!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the picture, this could be a mass of some type or due to an insect bite. If this does not resolve within 24-48 hours, then I would recommend having a veterinarian examine her so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.