My dog has an oozing skin patch with hair loss. Is it infected?

There's no way to know for sure from a photograph, but it does look like a bacterial infection. It is important to have this seen by your vet to determine what it is so the correct treatment can be started as soon as possible before it gets worse or is a sign of an underlying problem. Your vet will do an exam, possibly labwork, and based on these results will be better able to tell you what is causing this and how best to treat it.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a severe focal infection. I recommend you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as this will likely require local therapy with cleaning of the site, pain control medications and antibiotics. Also, your veterinarian could check for a possible underlying cause like allergies, mites or a foreign body reaction. Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! From the picture you have attached, I would suspect a bacterial skin infection, chronic wound, burn or contact dermatitis from something irritating. I would have this examined by a veterinarian in order to determine what this could be by testing this further. Pete will likely require oral antibiotics and topical treatment for appropriate therapy. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via phone or text based consultation if needed.

Hi, and thanks for your question. Even though a picture would help to understand better the underlying cause, This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/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!

It looks like your dog has a skin infection so he should be examined and treated by a vet. He, likely, needs an oral antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory that your vet can prescribe. If the meantime, you can bathe him with a medicated shampoo, like Douxo Chlorhexidine. You could also spray the lesion with Vetericyn wound and skin care spray.

From the pictures, the skin appears red and inflamed. It does look like it is infected. While this may not be a true emergency, I would recommend getting in to see your veterinarian very soon. Pookie will need the area shaved and cleaned up. Your vet may prescribe an antibiotic for this as well depending. Until you can get to your vet, you can keep the area clean and dry and use a mild soap and water to clean the wound. If Pookie is licking it, you can put on ECollar on her to prevent licking.

i am sorry to hear about your dog! It is very difficult to evaluate the skin by a photograph but it appears there is a defect/wound in the skin here? I would be concerned that this was an abscess that ruptures, a wound that isn't healing and is infected, or we could have something like a cuterebra (a fly larvae that lives in a hole in the skin- look closely and see if you see a tiny creature moving inside the hole!). I would recommend a visit to your vet- the area may need to be flushed/cleaned and have antibiotics prescribed. In the meantime, I would put an e-collar on your dog or a t-shirt if it would be covered by this to prevent your dog from licking/aggravating the skin. You can also clean the area with a mild soap or Hibiclens (available at the drug store) and apply an antibiotic ointment like polysporin to the area until your vet can see him.