My dog scratched his neck from allergies. How do I treat the cuts?

Bo may need to be on antibiotics in addition to the steroids to help clear up any skin infection present. The skin infection causes them to itch as well. You may also want to try a medicated shampoo 2-3 times a week to help the skin heal up faster as well. You could also try using an E-collar (cone) to prevent Bo from chewing and placing a tee shirt around his body to prevent damage from scratching. The tee shirt should be light and loose enough to prevent trapping moisture like you vet was concerned about.

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 Cooper! It sounds like you're already on the right track for ruling out issues, however, environmental allergens can also flare up this time of year which may be causing the excessive itchiness. Since that area is very badly irritated and inflamed, I definitely agree with getting into your vet ASAP. Since it's right on his neck, you can try inverting an Elizabethan (cone) collar so that the cone part covers the irritation and the neck park sits up closer around his ears, so that it doesn't rub against the irritated spot and protects it from further scratching. Keeping the area clean and dry can also help reduce any secondary infections that may take hold in the irritated skin. An over the counter allergy medication such as Benadryl can also help by reducing any irritation/itchiness, and may also have the added benefit of making him a little drowsy so he's less likely to scratch. However, getting into the vet like you planned is the best course of action. If there is a big wound opening up, it gets worse, it oozes debris, or Cooper seems in major distress, getting into your vet sooner or reaching out to an urgent care vet may be a good idea.

Because it is localized to the one spot than you can alternate neosporin with cortisone cream to help keep it clean and take away some of the itching. It does not appear scarred so hair should regrow when it heals. If it doesn't improve in the next day or so your vet can prescribe oral medication to help with the itching and infection

If you think the lesion was caused by the collar rubbing, you can put some neosporin on it. The most important thing is to keep her from scratching. You may have to put a t-shirt or similar around her neck , so she cannot directly scratch the lesion. If the itching does not stop within 2 days or if the lesion starts to expand or ooze, you will need to stop the neosporin and take her to a veterinarian for an exam, as it may have been infected by bacteria. This could also be a fungus, in which case the neosporin will not work, If possible, wash her collar before putting it back on

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!

No I don't recommend prednisone for long term use as it can cause liver problems. The scratching can be from food, fleas, plants and grass in the yard among other things. Make sure you are using flea control on Kia since even one flea bite can cause excessive scratching in some dogs. Also if there is a secondary skin infection using a course of antibiotics can greatly reduce the itching too. The most effective long term solution is to find the specific reason and taylor the medication to the diagnosis. Skin problems can be annoying and difficult to get under control but you will have better success when treating the cause not just the symptoms. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Kia.