My dog has a raw, red, oily spot below her nose. What should I do?

So, there are a number of things this could be. 1) This could be an allergic response to something in her environment or an insect, 2) This could be a fungal or bacterial infection that could be primary OR secondary to trauma or an allergy. Ideally I would do a prep on a slide and look under the microscope to see if there is a significant bacterial or yeast population. Regardless, however, I think she would benefit from some topical treatment depending on what is seen under the microscope. If it seems to be spreading, and the area is swollen, some injectable or oral medications may be indicated.

That looks like either a pretty good scrape or the start of a ringworm infection or an uncommon disorder called eosinophilic furunculosis. I wouldn’t put any medication on it yet, as medication such as cortisone could make it worse if it is ringworm, but I would do a warm water and Epsom salt compress a few times the next 1-2 days. If it starts to scab over and dry up it is probably just a scrape. However if it is getting larger, or if another one pops up then she should be evaluated by a veterinarian soon. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

This could be due to an autoimmune disease but it is very hard to say just by looking at a photo. I suggest you have your dog examined by your vet as soon as you can get an appointment. It's not an emergency but sometime in the next couple days would be good.

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your concern about Molly! From the pictures, it looks like that area is a bit red and raw. It could be that she suffered some trauma to that area leading to the skin having that appearance, or it could be caused by a bacterial or fungal skin infection. If it's not bothering her, I'd keep an eye on it for now. Should the area not appear to be healing over the next week and/or gets bigger, then I would give the vet a call to make an appointment to have her seen so the issue can be diagnosed and treated. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Based on your photos, I would suspect this to be some sort of irritation or immune mediated disease such as discoid lupus erythematosus. If this does not improve on its own, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine the area so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

It does look a little irritated there. That could be caused by irritation from a muzzle or face halter, or could be regular allergies starting up. I would recommend keeping the area clean and dry, for now. If it's not getting better after 3-5 days, I'd recommend a vet visit to see if she needs most medicated wipes. It's common for young dogs to get superficial bacterial infections around their lips, which usually doesn't require oral antibiotics, but may require a topical treatment. I hope that helps! If it goes away and comes back right away or even next fall, you'll know it's allergies and can start a conversation about that with your vet. Good luck!

This does look like a skin infection, but we cannot say whether it is bacterial or fungal. Your veterinarian may be able to tell with a quick exam and looking at the area with a special light that can diagnose ringworm fungal infections. In either case, this will be best treated with an oral medication....either antibiotic or antifungal. It is usually unrewarding to try to treat a lesion in this location topically because the dog will usually lick any cream or ointment right off. I would recommend that Neyle see her vet for a diagnosis.