My dog has painful open sores on his head and nose. What should I do?

Please trim the fur so you can see the wounds. If they aren't deep please clean it with hydrogen peroxide and apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. If the wounds are deep they may need to be sutured together by your veterinarian. As long as Sully is eating fine and the wounds do not look red or have discharge his skin should heal fine. If the wounds become infected they will be painful, red, and may have a discharge. He would need veterinary treatment then with antibiotics and perhaps pain medication. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sully.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Ninja! I can not see the skin well in the pictures due to all the hair. I am not seeing an open wound but more of a sore. If the area is flat, red, moist and weeping it is likely a hot spot. Hot spots are superficial skin infections that occur secondary to allergies, scratching and excessively moist fur (like after a bath or swimming). They crop up very quickly and get larger just as quick. I treat hot spots by shaving all the fur away, having owners use an E-collar or T-shirt to prevent further scratching and I prescribe a course of oral antibiotics and tapering course of steroids along with a topical spray. Most hot spots with this treatment heal with in 5 days. I would make an appointment with your Vet. I wish you the best!

I am sorry to hear about Lexi. While it is impossible to provide a diagnosis from a photo, it looks like Lexi could be suffering from acute moist pyoderma, also known as a "hot spot". These are areas of superficial skin infection and can be quite painful. You can read more about them here: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2714. I would recommend a visit to your vet. They can shave the area with clippers, clean the skin and may prescribe either topical treatment such as a medicated shampoo or spray, or oral antibiotics/anti-inflammatory medication.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Buddy. He will need to see his veterinarian. His sores are unusual. Given their locations, I am concerned he could have an auto-immune skin disease. This is where the body starts attacking its own skin cells. Check his ear margins and foot pads for other signs as well. In the meantime, keep him from scratching the affected areas. I hope this information is a good starting point for you. Good luck!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Sasha. I would advise taking Sasha to your veterinarian for an evaluation. These are odd lesions and one concern I would have is an immune-mediated skin disease. It is possible it is something else but problems affecting mucocutaneous junctions are oftentimes immune-mediated in nature. Other possibilities include bacterial infection, nutritional problem, etc. Your veterinarian is likely to advise some tests if this condition persists. A skin biopsy might be necessary to diagnose this. Once a diagnosis is made a sound treatment plan can be implemented. Good luck with Sasha.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a severe focal infection. I recommend you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as this will likely require local therapy with cleaning of the site, pain control medications and antibiotics. Also, your veterinarian could check for a possible underlying cause like allergies, mites or a foreign body reaction. Good luck!

Hello. That is a pretty nasty reaction/infection. I would definitely recommend antibiotics for a situation like this. You will need to see your veterinarian who can examine the area & start Lilly on the appropriate therapy to clean things up. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.