My dog has severe skin ulcers. What's causing them and how to treat?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the pictures you provided, I suspect that Barley has a skin infection or some other skin disorder. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at this so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Poro Bartly! Skin ulcers require medications from the vet to treat, so I would have him seen by a vet for these medications. In addition, skin ulcers are a sign of underlying disease or infection, so it's best to have a health check done on him as well. Take him in first thing Monday for it.

Place an e-collar (cone) to prevent licking. Keep the area clean and dry. A dab of a triple antibiotic ointment once or twice daily may help. Monitor for swelling, discharge or discomfort associated with the area. Ideally, he should be examined by your veterinarian. Since the skin is broken, he is at risk for infection and may need antibiotics. If he is painful, your vet can prescribe or dispense a pain medication also.

Hello. They appear to be epidermal collaretts, very typical of some skin infections caused by a staph bacterium. It stands to reason that they are clearing up because Bulya was on antibiotics. You can continue to treat these at home just by using an over the counter anti bacterial shampoo, one with benzoyl peroxide or 2-4% chlorhexidine. These shampoos are available at most large pet retailers or on-line. If you can bathe Bulya twice a week, letting her sit in the suds for 10 minutes before rinsing, all the lesions should clear in 4-6 weeks. If, however, they are not healing or her skin looks any worse, please be sure to see your veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I'm sorry to hear that Barney is having so many skin problems. Skin disease is frustrating for owners and veterinarians alike. A lot of conditions can look similar, but have very different causes. I would recommend he is checked for ringworm with a fungal culture and that mites are ruled out with deep and superficial skin scrapes. I usually place the patient on flea and tick prevetion to ensure the skin disease isn't secondary to these parasites. It is less likely that he has allergies if he isn't responding to the cortisone. Occasionally skin disease is secondary to an underlying hormonal disease so bloodwork maybe warranted. If none of this helps, then I agree that he will need a skin biopsy. I hope this information helps. Good luck!

Hi, I'm Dr. Johnson. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am so sorry to hear about Mugsy. If he has an skin infection or ulcers I recommend seeing your Vet for possible antibiotics. He is already immunosuppressed having cancer. And sadly lymphoma can affect the skin as well. I wish you and Mugsy the best!

Those are superficial bacterial infections on Barley's neck. There are many different reasons why this can happen. Sometimes its just a random bacterial infection. It could also be related to fleas. If it continues to come back as a chronic issue, then I would suspect allergies or a thyroid condition. If she only has a few lesions, many times these will heal easily. I would recommend to put her on an oral flea prevention such as Simparica or Comfortis to be sure that fleas are not related. I would also recommend to wash her in a medicated shampoo twice weekly for 2 weeks. If she is very itchy, you can try an over the counter antihistamine. If Barley is very uncomfortable or if the lesions are getting worse, the veterinarian will have antibiotics and stronger medications to clear up her skin. I hope the s helps and thank you for using Pet Coach!