My puppy has a red sore on his stomach. Is it infected or a bug bite?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Remy. This looks like a bacterial skin infection, often called staph pyoderma/bacterial dermatitis. I would advise taking Remy to your veterinarian and let them gather a history and perform an examination. Based on their findings, they will probably advise treating this infection. This may involve a medicated shampoo, oral antibiotics, anti-itch medicines, etc. Good luck with Remy. This type of skin infection is NOT contagious to other dogs or people.

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This does look red and inflamed. It may be a insect bite or an infected hair follicle. I would recommend Oscar be seen by his veterinarian to have this evaluated further. He may need topical or oral antibiotics or other medications as needed. I hope this helps!

In the picture, it appears that the affected skin is bumpy and then there is quite a bit of redness around the edge. It’s possible that it could be a wart-like growth, but because of the amount of inflammation (causing the redness) going on, I would recommend taking Mac to the vet for a closer look. The vet will also look closely at all of Mac’s other skin (and mouth and other mucous membranes) to see if there are any other affected areas. They may be able to diagnose or have a better guess as to what’s going on, and discuss treatment options if any need to happen. Until he sees the vet, it would be helpful to have him wear an e-collar/cone so he can’t lick the area anymore. Licking will increase the inflammation and can skew how the vet evaluates the area. Thanks for selecting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It may be a little skin infection. It is common and easily can happen. They can also make it worse themselves. I would recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to have them evaluate it since it may require antibiotics. Without seeing it though I cannot say for sure. Remember you can always upload up to 3 pictures when submitting a question. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, Thanks for the good picture. I agree that it does look like a solitary pimple, very well could be from an insect sting initially. I would just monitor this for now. If it spreads into many pimples, a larger sore, or an itchy rash, those would be reasons to have him seen by his veterinarian to ensure he doesn't have a skin infection that requires treatment. You can use a warm compress with saline or epsom salt water on the area for a few minutes twice per day. Otherwise, don't apply any ointments and just let it stay dry and open to air. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This looks potentially like a superficial skin infection. Skin infections like this can occur secondary to allergies, fleas, or sometimes to contact with an irritating substance. I would recommend having your veterinarian take a look. They might recommend topical treatment or an oral antibiotic, or they might want to do some testing as well.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.