My dog has an open sore behind his ear from scratching. How to clean?

It sounds like Ruby had an injury or insect bite that caused the sore. A skin sore should be cleaned with antibacterial soap, rinsed and then apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it to prevent infection. If Ruby is scratching it that will slow the healing. Use a restraint collar if needed to prevent her from rubbing or scratching it. Most skin sores heal in about a week. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Ruby.

It looks like Snoop has an infection in the skin. These are generally bacterial in nature although fungal infections and mites are also a possibility. Sometimes these can be treated topically by cleaning the area in a medicated shampoo every other day and applying topical medication. For very itchy lesions or ones not responding to topical therapy within a few days, the veterinarian can prescribe medications that will heal it faster. It is also important to protect the area from Snoop's nails scratching it. Hope he starts feeling better soon.

Because it is localized to the one spot than you can alternate neosporin with cortisone cream to help keep it clean and take away some of the itching. It does not appear scarred so hair should regrow when it heals. If it doesn't improve in the next day or so your vet can prescribe oral medication to help with the itching and infection

Ouch, poor Happy! He's lucky to have such a considerate neighbor! Based upon the location of these lesions, my best guess is that he has caused significant skin irritation as a result of scratching his dirty ears. Some dogs do not scratch as much when they are distracted by their surroundings and save the scratching for quieter times of the day. Dirty ears in dogs most commonly occurs as a result of ear infections (bacterial or yeast). Happy really needs to take a trip to the vet to have his ears addressed with appropriate medications and he may also need oral antibiotics to manage a possible skin infection around the ear. I hope that all goes well!

Ouch, poor Chewie! This lesion looks most consistent with a hot spot (moist dermatitis). Given the location, I would also be concerned that he created the lesion from trying to scratch his ears from an ear infection. If you have clippers on hand, you can clip the hair around the skin lesion and then clean it with an antiseptic soap, such as chlorhexidine or betadine. It is worth taking a trip to the vet to have his skin and ears evaluated. Until you can take Chewie to the vet, keep an e-collar on him to prevent further skin damage. I hope that all goes well!

Ouch! That sore does look pretty large, and if you suspect it was food-allergy related, switching back to his other food (or a different bag) is a good idea. I would continue to keep it as clean and dry as possible, and if it's not healing, or has already been there several days, bring Bear into your vet. Your vet can carefully trim the hair in the area to see how large the sore is, thoroughly clean it, and provide you with antibiotics and pain meds as needed to help the area heal and Bear feel more comfortable. In the meantime, keeping the area clean and dry, keeping Bear from rubbing or pawing at it with an E-collar or T-shirt, and keeping the site monitored is best.

This sore could just be from an injury. I would gently clean it with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep him from scratching at it, you can put an Ecollar on him. 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 he will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. I'd also have him seen by a vet if the sore doesn't appear to be healing over the next week. I will put a link below on how to make an Ecollar at home. Best of luck, I hope this helps! http://dogsaholic.com/care/homemade-dog-cone.html