My dog has an open leg wound that isn't healing. What should I do?

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!

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.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). Ideally a check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. The area must be clipped more and disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths (twice daily). Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking (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!

Thank you for your question. From your photo, it appears that Bear has a small skin infection. I recommend cleaning it with warm soapy water. You can carefully trim the hair around the lesion to make it easier to clean. Since you just noticed this, it is hard to say if it is something that has been there and is healing, or if it will get worse. I recommend keeping it clean through the weekend and using a cone or e-collar to keep Bear from licking the area. You can apply a triple antibiotic ointment once or twice a day. If it isn't getting better, you should call your veterinarian on Monday to have it evaluated and see if antibiotics are needed. Make sure you wash your hands after you have touched the wound. I hope this information helps, and that Bear heals quickly.

It may be helpful to remove the hair from this area and keep it clean and dry. It could be a resistant faction or even something like a fungus. If removing the hair and he didn't clear and dry is not helpful then Bear needs to be seen by a veterinarian.

It's difficult to tell what's going on from the picture. I'm concerned there is a serious infection or a cancerous growth there and would recommend taking the pup to a veterinarian to be evaluated. If you are unable to do that, then the best you can do is to clean the area with lukewarm water and a mild soap, and keep it nice and dry. If the dog is chewing at it at all, an e collar can be used to prevent him from getting back there. However, I do not think this is going to resolve without veterinary intervention.

Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further licking or chewing. This may be enough to allow for healing. Keep the area clean and dry. If it doesn't heal or if it grows or spreads, have Barnaby physically examined by your veterinarian. He may need antibiotics or further diagnostics, such as a fine needle aspirate or biopsy, if it is a lump or mass.