My dog has an open wound. When should I take him to the vet?

This wound requires an immediate check up and possibly a stitch up as it seems infected and it is unlikely that will heal without immediate intervention. Proper disinfection and antibiotic treatment is required. 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

It's a bit difficult to tell from these pictures, but it does appear deep and wide enough that it will need stitches. It's best to take him to a vet soon, because the wound will heal better the sooner it is cleaned and stitched. For now, you can flush the wound using a syringe or other dispensing device with warm water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because dogs tend to hate water getting near their face. I recommend having someone help you with holding Wish to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Infection is the biggest concern with these wounds; so after flushing, it's best to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound. Your vet will be able to advise further treatment after evaluating it. I hope that helps and Wish gets better soon.

Poor Tux! Many open wounds can become infected either from their traumatic cause or if Tux is licking at the lesion. Tux should be examined by his vet so that the wound can be thoroughly assessed, flushed and prescribed antibiotics if needed. If the wound is directly over the stifle (knee) joint, the infection could cause an infection directly in the joint, which can be severe.

Ouch - poor pup! This wound looks quite deep, so yes - I would definitely recommend a vet visit. This may need stitches, depending on how long ago it happened, and your pup will certainly need antibiotics to prevent it from becoming infected while it heals.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You should take Murphy to your local vets for an appointment as this wound should be clipped, cleaned, flushed and potentially stitched up under sedation. It would take a very long time to heal if the wound was treated with antibiotics only. The symptoms of infection usually develops in the first 24hrs and include fever, discharge, swelling and pain around the wound.

Poor Gracie! Depending on the size and depth of the wound, it may need to be stitched shut. She will also need antibiotics to prevent infection. In this case, I think it's best that she is seen by a vet right away. The vet can stitch the wound if needed, can check her for any internal damage from the bite, and can prescribe antibiotics as needed. I recommend taking her into a vet now. Best of luck.

It definitely looks infected, bite wounds always get infected and require antibiotic treatment. it is also borderline in size and might need suturing. i strongly recommend taking Leo to the vet ASAP in order to get it treated.