My dog has a nose lesion. Is it ringworm? Should I try OTC treatment?

Thank you for posting the picture. It is really helpful. This lesion could be many things, and an examination with a veterinarian would be the first step toward a diagnosis and treatment plan. In my experience lesions such as this one in a young dog are usually either a histiocytoma, eosinophilic furunculosis, or ringworm. All of these can pop up quickly, and they are all treated differently. A histiocytoma is a benign tumor that will usually resolve within 4-6 weeks. The others need medications. A veterinarian can do a needle aspirate to help make the diagnosis and determine what the best treatment plan should be. Best of luck and I hope Tank improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

This presentation could be due to a localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal infection). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics/or antifungal medications (oral or topical ) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine solutions. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching (if any). 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

This does look like a skin infection, but we cannot say whether it is bacterial or fungal. Your veterinarian may be able to tell with a quick exam and looking at the area with a special light that can diagnose ringworm fungal infections. In either case, this will be best treated with an oral medication....either antibiotic or antifungal. It is usually unrewarding to try to treat a lesion in this location topically because the dog will usually lick any cream or ointment right off. I would recommend that Neyle see her vet for a diagnosis.

These types of lesions are normally seen with a skin infection, but ringworm does not typically look like this. The fact that she has been licking more may be the reason for her developing a skin infection of her muzzle. These infections often develop when there is excessive moisture, or when something is irritating the muzzle. This can happen when their mouth has contact with a plant, or substance that irritates the skin. These type of infections are usually managed well at home with daily cleaning. I recommend rinsing the are with cool water, then wiping it with a medicated wipe (can get this at the pet store). It's best if you can do this twice a day. If the lesions are not starting to heal after a week of treatment, or are getting worse, then I recommend taking her to the vet. The vet will be able to diagnose the specific cause of this and provide the best treatment. I hope that helps and Little Bear gets better soon.

That looks like either a pretty good scrape or the start of a ringworm infection or an uncommon disorder called eosinophilic furunculosis. I wouldn’t put any medication on it yet, as medication such as cortisone could make it worse if it is ringworm, but I would do a warm water and Epsom salt compress a few times the next 1-2 days. If it starts to scab over and dry up it is probably just a scrape. However if it is getting larger, or if another one pops up then she should be evaluated by a veterinarian soon. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

This doesn't look like a classic ringworm lesion to me, but ringworm can have many different appearances. A bacterial infection or allergy would also be possible. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Noody to determine what the lesion might be.

Yes, this could be a histiocytoma but it is very hard to say for sure. Many masses can look the same to the naked eye. Histiocytomas are more likely to occur in younger dogs; since he is older I would a bit more concerned. I suggest you leave it alone for now and just monitor it. If it is a histiocytoma it should go away on it's own. If it does not go away in about 6-8 weeks OR it starts to bother him or get larger, then have your vet check it by doing a fine needle aspirate (they will get some cells with a needle and look at them under the microscope to see what this is). The only thing I can really recommend at this stage is to put him on an immune system booster supplement like this one: ( https://www.platinumperformance.com/dogs-cats/dog-cat-conditions/dog-immunity ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.