Dog with ringworm scratched head, now bleeding. What should I do?

It is good that you have Harry wearing an e-collar to prevent further damage. It looks like he may have a hot spot. They can come up very quickly. To try at-home treatment, the first step is to clip the hair away from the skin so it will dry out, is easier to clean, and so you can monitor the progression. You need to use electric clippers, not scissors or a razor, to safely remove the hair. Second is to gently cleanse and disinfect the area. You can use a chlorhexidine wound scrub to gently scrub the wound, rinse thoroughly with water. It is important to keep this out of Harry's eyes as it is unsafe. Third is the treat the skin. You can use an ointment like neosporin or a medicated wipe like Dechra MalAcetic HC Wipes which is anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. If you do this at-home treatment for 48 hours and the skin appears worse, Harry seems painful, or there is excessive discharge, I recommend that Harry see a vet immediately. Other possible causes for his skin issue that are not a hot spot include fleas, mange, lice, infections (bacterial or yeast), ringworm, allergies, among others. Here is a good article about hot spots, including information on when at-home treatment can be tried: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2714

Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further trauma. Have him examined by your veterinarian to diagnose infection or injury. Yoda may need both antibiotics and medication for pain or inflammation. If you can't take him just yet, clean the area with diluted betadine or chlorhexidine and place an e-collar on him. You can buy them in most pet stores. Monitor for resolution, but if gets worse or if he becomes lethargic or stops eating, get him to your vet.

It looks like what we call a hot spot or moist dermatitis. These looks really painful. I would have him seen. He will most likely need some antibiotics and some topical medication to help dry this up. They can also give you something for the itching or pain relief. These usually heal pretty quickly once they stop messing with them.

Poor guy. I can understand your concern here. Apply firm pressure periodically with a clean sterile gauze from your local pharmacy as you cleanse the area antiseptically with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water or Chlorhexidine solution 3% diluted into a light blue mixture. This should be done for the first day to help prevent infection. And don’t allow your pet to roll around in the dirt or receive any baths of any kind until it is healed. After the first day you can continue to flush the area with sterile saline from your local pharmacy/drug store and this should help it heal well. It’s also a good idea to place an e-collar on his head to prevent Stevie from scratching the area. If things start to look like they are getting infected (yellow or pinkish foul smelling discharge), or if it doesn’t heal well within 4-7 days, then it’s best to have him seen by your vet. Sutures or staples may need to be placed to close the wound, antibiotics and pet friendly anti-inflammatory medication will likely be prescribed. I hope this helps and best of luck getting Stevie’s wound to heal well. Best wishes and take care.

Hello, and thank you for your question. Floki is such a cutie! My best suggestion would be to put an e-collar (cone) over his head that is long enough to prevent him from reaching the tail tip. Hopefully you will only need to use this for a few weeks as the ringworm treatment starts to work and he is less itchy. Also make sure the vet checks for any secondary bacterial infections that could be making the itching worse and preventing it from healing. I hope this helps, and that Floki feels better soon!

The lesions that you are seeing on the back of Bruce's neck could be a result of a skin infection from his excessive scratching (possibly related to allergies to fleas, food or environmental factors), but could also be associated with ringworm, mange or benign or malignant cancerous processes. Bruce should go to his vet for evaluation because he likely needs a course of antibiotics to treat any infection present. Until you can get to the vet, keep an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further scratching and skin damage. Also be sure that he is receiving a high quality flea preventative (such as Nexgard, Bravecto or K9 Advantix II) regularly. Baths in an antibacterial shampoo (here is one example: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27982) may be beneficial until his vet appointment. I hope that all goes well!

Poor M! I'm glad to hear that you're already using the e-collar because this will prevent M from scratching and worsening the issue. This lesion could be a result of a skin infection, ringworm, mange, flea allergy, among others. While you can use Neosporin, I do not typically find it to be overly effective for most wounds on pets. Instead, you can try a wound spray, such as Vetericyn (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=25902). Also be sure that M is receiving a high quality flea preventative, such as Advantage, Bravecto, or Revolution regularly. If this lesion persists or worsens, he will need to go to his vet for further evaluation. I hope this helps and that all goes well!