My dog has a painful red bump with pus on his back. What to do?

Hi there. Bumps like the one on Bear could be a few different things. Sometimes there can be a thorn or something else stuck beneath the skin causing the bump. It could also be a skin growth, examples of these are things like epitheliomas, mast cell tumors and lipomas. Because it's red and is causing him some irritation, I would recommend having your veterinarian check the bump. They may suggest doing a fine needle aspirate of the bump, which collects cells from within the bump to help diagnose what it is. It's not an emergency, but I would have it checked when you can. I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It could be an infection, cyst, or possibly a hystiocytoma. The best thing would be to have a vet take a look at the lesion. Your vet can do a needle aspirate to help diagnose and then determine the best way to treat. He may need an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, or it may need to be removed. Hope he feels better soon!

It may be infected and he might need an antibiotic. The best thing would be to have your vet look at it again and prescribe an antibiotic. It could also just be removed so it doesn't swell and bother him again.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Teddy. Pink wart like growths are common in small breed dogs. If this is not the case, then a cyst is another possibility. In the later case, fluid or even a chunky material can sometimes be expressed from the bump. These are the most common scenarios given your picture. Skin cancer is possible in dogs, but less likely. The veterinarian will examine him and may collect a sample of cells to evaluate under the microscope. This can be done while you wait and give you an diagnosis. I hope this information helps!

This could be a cyst or an abscess. Any suspicious lumps should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of its cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the lump is diagnosed, the vet can discuss treatment options if needed. Give Stark's vet a call in the morning to make an appointment.

Hello and thank you for your question about Bear. Unfortunately the picture is blurry so I can't get a good idea of what I'm seeing. It looks red and circular but I"m not certain. In general, a sudden red spot or rash could be several things including fleas, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection, ringworm (which humans can get) or endocrine disease. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesion(s) once a day (not his whole body, just the lesion). Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesion does not start improving within a week or if it is getting worse, have him examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It could be that Tank has an abscess. This commonly occur after animal bites and are very painful to the dog. He does need to see a vet tomorrow, as if he does have an abscess, it will need to be drained and flushed, and he will need antibiotics to treat it. I hope this helps!