My dog has mild pink chest swelling. Is it safe to wait for vet?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like a bruise or a hot spot. If it does not bother Diesel at all and he is well in himself you could monitor him at home for 1-2 days. If it is a bruise or allergic reaction, it should go down without treatment. However, if it starts to bother your dog, please make an appointment with your local vets.

Coco may need to be examined again by the veterinarian. That treatment is generally used to treat an allergic reaction but if it isn't helping, then it may not be an allergic reaction. Pets can get a bacteria-related celluitis or if there is a blockage of the lymphatic system by a tumor. Coco likely needs to be re-examined and may need a chest radiograph to look for any masses or other explanation. Dogs can get edema but it's not common. It's time to go looking for other causes. Best of luck.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics or antifungal meds (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can be possibly started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking.

It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

I am sorry to hear about Tonka! It is hard to evaluate the bump based on this photo, as it is a little blurry and there is no way for us to know the size of what we are looking at. If the red area is large/very raised, like the size of a nickel or raised more than 1/4 cm then I would be more suspicious that we have a small tumor of the skin (we can have both benign and malignant skin tumors). If the area is smaller and not bothering him, you can try washing with a mild soap and applying a topical antibiotic like neosporin 2-3 times a day. If the lesions isn't resolving by the end of the week or if it is more mass-like as I described earlier, then a vet exam would be recommended.

For Max! That looks a little irritated. He could have an infection or it could be some type of mass. The best thing would be to have your veterinarian take a look at it to determine the exact cause and the best way to treat. He may need an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory. If you can't take him to a vet, then you could bathe him with a medicated dog shampoo and apply an antibiotic cream and see if it resolves.

The region shown in the picture is consistent with a hotspot. Hot spots occur when an animal scratches or choose at an until damage is done to the skin. They can often progressbvery quickly and become quite severe if not treated. If the area is continuing to enlarge or if Garret seems uncomfortable I would recommend that you have him seen by your veterinarian. Your veterinarian may clip and clean the area and prescribe medications to help it heal. In the meantime I would recommend that you try to prevent Garret from scratching at the area. You can put a t-shirt on him to protect that area.