My dog keeps scratching a bloody scab on his head. What can I do?

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a hot spot. This is basically a bacterial infection secondary to self-trauma such as scratching. This is possibly secondary to allergies or another cause resulting in itchiness. I recommend that you have Bella evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If confirmed a hot spot on examination, then they would start her on antibiotics and something like steroids to decrease the itch. In the meantime, you can use an e-collar which you may get from your local pet store to try to prevent further scratching. Good luck and have a good night!

Hello, Yes, the lesions could be hot spots. You need to remove the scabs and clean the skin twice daily with antiseptic solution (ideally containing chlorhexidine, for example Hibiclens). Also, you need to stop Stella from scratching and biting the lesions. A head cone is usually the best in such situations. If after a few days of treatment (4-5 days) you don't see any improvement, you will need to take Stella to your local vets to get the treatment in form of oral antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory medications.

It sounds like she has a hotspot which could be secondary to allergies and/or an infection. The best thing would be to have your vet take a look at it to determine the best way to treat. She may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, and or a corticosteroid to treat and your vet can prescribe. If you can't take her to a vet than you could clean the area with an antiseptic wound cleaner but if she keeps scratching the area than it will not heal. Covering the area probably will not work but you could get an E-collar to prevent her from scratching.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. What you can do in the meantime is use an e-collar to prevent further self-injury. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Poor guy. This looks like a "hot spot" or superficial pyoderma (infected area) on the skin. This can be caused by an initial knick or scrap on the skin that later got infected and scabbed over. Flea bites are a common cause of hot spots, so its best to keep Bono on flea prevention year round it they are common in your area. Your vet should be able to prescribe some oral antibiotics to help this resolve completely. The wound spray you have may be sufficient, so its best to take it in with you to Bono's vet appt for your vet to see. If not, then the vet will likely recommend another topical to use. I hope that Bono's wound heals well. Best wishes and take care!

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. About 99/100 times if a dog comes to the vet clinic with something like this they also have fleas. If you don't have him on a good flea prevention then he is likely scratching this location due to fleas. I do think I see some "flea dirt" in the photo. I strongly recommend you get him to the vet for an exam. If he has fleas you need to get a good prescription flea prevention. Also, this type of lesion almost always needs oral antibiotics and some type of oral antiinflammatory to stop the itch cycle for it to heal. As long as he keeps scratching it, it will not heal no matter what you apply topically. If you choose to try and treat it yourself at home, you can use this hot spot spray gel 3- 4 times per day. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/3-oz-3-fl-oz-hot-spot-antimicr-2877113 ) You will also need to get some dog boots to put on his back feet so if he tries to scratch the area it won't continue to traumatize the skin. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/search?query=dog%20boots ) If you do this at home for about 5-7 days and there is no improvement or it looks worse at any time then he needs to see the vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.