My dog has an open sore with gray worm-like things. Are they ticks?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Nusing from the picture, it appears as though she has a tick that is engorged on her face. It is hard to tell for sure because the puctures are slightly blurry but the shape and color has me thinking this is a tick. You can remove this but make sure to remove the head as well. There are videos on how to do this online. Also, you can have this looked at my a veterinarian to make absolute certain this is a tick before trying to remove it. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thank you for your post! It sounds like when you attempted to remove it, you caused it to bleed a bit. Based on your description this sounds like a benign skin tumor but to be safe, I would have Kahuna's vet take a look at this to make sure it is nothing to be concerned about. Your vet can insert a small needle into the mass and look at the cells under a microscope to get a better idea of what it could be. If it is small enough and is benign, it can be removed with a local anesthetic or by freezing it with a cryogenic procedure. If it is suspicious looking though, your vet may want to remove it and send it out for further testing.

I can't tell based on the photo if there are potential legs there. Try to look at the base of this thing near where it is attached to the ear to see if you see many legs sticking out on the sides. if there are no legs, then this is a mass. I would then recommend having your vet take a look at this for further testing and possible surgical removal. If this is a tick, then proper removal of the tick should be done with hemostats through your vet or any other person who is trained in proper tick removal. I would then recommend a high quality flea/tick preventative such as Simparica, Bravecto, Nexgard or even over the counter Advantix can work in many pets. I hope that this leads you towards a proper diagnosis of this questionable lesion on Ramsey's ear. Best of luck moving forward. Take care.

I agree that this looks like an engorged tick on Bella's neck. Try to grab at the base of the attachment either firmly with a pair of tweezers or with your fingers, then smoothly and confidently pull it straight out. Your goal is to pull it straight out so that none of the mouth parts are left behind in the skin. If you're unable to remove it, seek veterinary attention for help in removing it. I can't tell what type of tick it is from the angles in this picture, but remember that ticks can transmit a variety of different infectious diseases. Due to this, I would have a blood test run on Bella in about 6 months to check for some of the more common diseases, like Lyme, Ehrlichia, or Anaplasma. If you don't already have her on a good flea and tick preventive medication, be sure to start one right away. I hope that everything goes well!

I don't think these are ticks from your photos. They look much more like skin cysts or growths that occur more often in older dogs. Don't attempt to remove them as if they are skin growths, you may cause your dog pain and they will bleed. Get Joey checked by your vet in the next 48hrs who will be able to determine what they are. If the type of growth is unclear, your vet may suggest a needle biopsy which is a non invasive way to determine the type of growth/ cells.

While I can't tell for sure from the picture, I believe this may be dried discharge from a cyst. Poodles and other breeds with continually growing hair are more prone to sebaceous cyst formation. Sometimes these cysts can rupture and push out a thick cheesy material. When this material dries it can form a crust that when removed reveals the inside of the cyst. I would keep the area clean and monitor for any signs of redness, continued discharge or swelling. Do not allow Pogo to lick at the area and if it becomes inflamed he should be seen by your veterinarian.

Thank you for providing a picture of this area on Bosco! It could be that it's a skin tag, a type of benign tumor, and that's why it cannot be removed. It could also be a tick that is embedded, and I would not try to remove it again. It would be a good idea to have him seen by a vet for it, so it can be diagnosed and treated as needed.