My dog's nose is raw from burying a bone. Should I take it away?

Your dog may have rubbed it raw, under the couch or through the fence maybe? I suggest washing the area gently with antibacterial soap and water. Apply a warm washcloth 2-3 times a day for five minutes at a time to help keep it clean and draining. After washing and the compress, dry thoroughly and apply a dab of antibiotic ointment that **does NOT** contain hydrocortisone to the wound. Steroids will slow healing. An OTC triple antibiotic ointment will suffice. Rub it in well and don't leave any excess for your pet to lick off. If it does not show signs of healing or if your dog develops a fever, loses his appetite, starts vomiting or has diarrhea have him seen by your veterinarian right away. Potential cause may include allergies, infection, automimmune disease or even cancer. An e-collar (cone) may be used to prevent rubbing or pawing.

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This appears to be a small surface abrasion on her nose. I would recommend trying to limit Saml ability to dig and root in the blankets while her nose heals. Typically applying any topical medications to a lesion such as this can cause them to try to rub it more, exacerbating the problem. Keep her nose clean and dry, using a warm, damp washcloth if needed to clean it. Maybe for a few days try to limit her access to the blankets or remove any toys or treats she likes to "bury".

This looks like it might not simply be from digging. I can see what looks like hair loss all the way up the bridge of Charlie’s nose. I would recommend having your vet examine him - he might need antibiotics. Your vet might recommend taking a biopsy to rule out autoimmune skin diseases that can affect the nose.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Frank. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. I am worried about his nose. It is possible that he has an autoimmune skin disease that is resulting in the signs you see. If his veterinarian suspects this to be the case, he will likely need a biopsy taken from the nose. Based on these results, treatment can be prescribed. This issue is not likely related to his intestinal parasites. I hope this information helps!

I am sorry to hear about Xena. I would definitely keep a close eye on her for the next few days and if she has any additional gagging, any vomiting, decreased appetite, change in voice or increased drooling or is pawing at her face, stretching her neck or having trouble breathing she should be seen right away. We do see issues with dogs ingesting bones that can range from bones getting lodged in the throat to causing GI obstruction to splintered bone penetrating the tissues. I personally do not recommend the use of bones for dogs because we see problems too often from giving these as treats.

As with any bone or hard chew toy, there are concerns for tooth trauma. In my experience, I've seen many broken teeth from dogs chewing on deer antlers, hard bones, etc. I would usually recommend against giving these for that reason. As Rocky is a larger breed dog, the pieces of bone that he is chewing off of the main bone should not be a problem and they should pass through his intestines just fine. However, if given a large enough bone and he eats it whole, this could lead to a GI foreign body obstruction as the bone tries to pass through and gets stuck. There are alternatives you can use such as Kong toys that you can put treats in or put peanut butter in that would keep him busy. Hopefully this helps! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other concerns you may have.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Five is not old. It sounds like he is being protective of the bone and he is walking away with it because he doesn’t want anyone to take it. Since he is being aggressive about it, I would recommend finding a way to get the bone away from him and not giving it back. If he cannot play with his toys in a safe manner then he cannot have them. I am afraid the behavior could get worse. Good luck and kisses to Dartos!