Dog has an open sore behind collar. Is it infected? What to do?

Poor Marley! Thank you for providing pictures of the area. If there is pus, that means the sore is infected. He will need to see a vet for antibiotics to treat it. Tonight, wash the area with warm water and antiseptic soap to clean it, and then take him into the vet in the morning to have it examined and treated. Put an Ecollar on him tonight to keep him from scratching at it and possibly making it worse. You can make one at home, and I will put a link below on how to make one. While at the vet, I recommend having his ear examined as well. I notice the sore is below is his ear, and I'm wondering if he has been scratching excessively at his ear causing the sore. This can be a sign of an ear infection. The vet can examine his ear, and if he does have an ear infection, the vet can diagnose the cause (ear mites, yeast, or bacteria), and can prescribe treatment for it. Good luck, I hope this helps and thank you for contacting Pet Coach! http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html

Poor guy. This may be all that is needed to get this area to heal; however we would need a picture of the sore to know for sure. Please repost with a picture of the area in question and we will be more than happy to let you know what this needs to heal properly. Thank you and take care!

The spot in the picture looks infected, it will need to be clipped and treated with antibiotics. he will also need to wear an e-collar in order to prevent him from licking the area and making it worse. i would recommend taking him to the vet in order to get it treated.

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.

Poor Stella! I would gently clean it with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep her from scratching at it, you can put an Ecollar on her. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and she will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. I hope this helps!

It's difficult to tell the extent of the injury (the photo is quite blurry), but the wound appears rather deep. Here are my recommendation: 1) Clip the hair around the area and expose all of the lesions. 2) Flush the wound with clean water a syringe using high pressure. Use a clean cloth to gently wipe away the scabs. Do not scrub, because it will irritate the skin more. It's OK if all of the scabs do not come off in each washing. Do not use any antiseptics like iodine, because this can be irritating and delay healing. 3) Apply an antibacterial cream to the wound and lightly bandage the wound. Demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FQ0JopKfY0&t=93s 4) Leave the collar off until the wound is completely healed. 5) Repeat flush and bandage every day. You should start seeing good results within a week after starting this. It may take a few weeks before it's completely healed. If two weeks go by and it's not getting any better, then it's best to have a veterinarian exam it. Also, if it appears to get worse, then it would be best to take her to the vet for treatment. I hope that helps and this gets better soon.

I think your treatment plans sounds good for home care. Wash the lesions once daily and rinse it well (you don't need to wash his whole body, just the spot). Protect the area from scratching. The only other thing I can think to do is add a dab of coconut oil that you rub into the lesion well. You will want to separate it from the other topical medication by a few hours. If the spot is not looking significantly better in the next week, then I recommend for Hendrix to see his vet. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.