My pet has a skin issue on its arm. Is an emergency vet needed?

Thank you for sending the pictures! From what I can see, it looks like this lesion is only affecting the outermost skin layers, with the underlying tissue layers remaining intact. It's certainly possible that this lesion is from a traumatic injury, like the rubber bullet you'd mentioned, but it's equally possible that this is an infectious condition, like mange or ringworm. Since there is a good bit of skin damage that's bloody, it stands to reason that this type of lesion could become infected rather quickly, particularly if Crimson is licking at it at all. Even though we're now several days past the initial injury, I still recommend taking Crimson to her vet for an in person exam to thoroughly assess this lesion. Your vet may need to do some diagnostic testing to rule out infectious issues. Depending on their exam findings, your vet may need to prescribe oral antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory medications to aid in the healing process. Until your vet visit, be sure to prevent Crimson from licking at this lesion at all by putting an e-collar (cone) on her. I hope that she's on the mend soon!

Skin lesions like this can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, or a combination of the above. I recommend making an appointment to have Archer seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the lesion you’ve noticed and to make sure it is treated appropriately. The vet will likely want to look at a sample from the area under the microscope to determine if there is an infection and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment. In the meantime, you can put an e-collar (cone) on him to help reduce the risk of scratching/licking at the area, but this will likely not resolve the lesion.

Lesions that look like that are commonly bacterial infections, ringworm (which humans can get) or skin mites. A trip to your veterinarian is the best way to determine the underlying cause and provide appropriate treatment fast. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It's hard for me to give you an opinion without seeing the condition myself, if it looks badly infected and your dog is extremely bothered by it or lethargic- you should take him to the ER ASAP, otherwise it can wait for tomorrow.

These lumps are not typical of a flea allergy dermatitis. That typically is just a superficial rash with itching, hair loss, scabs, etc. These lumps are concerning. Your pet may have developed abscesses which are deeper infections that form pockets of pus or infectious fluid. This is worth a trip to the vet for a recheck. I do not feel that it is a life threatening emergency, but it should be addressed by your veterinarian as soon as regular business hours resume. Your pet may need prescription antibiotics, the lumps may need to be aspirated or checked with a needle and if they are full of pus, they should be drained. Please have your vet recheck him as soon as possible,

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lorelai. I am glad that she has an appointment to see her veterinarian. As long as she is eating, drinking and acting like herself, then it should be fine to wait until Thursday. Her veterinarian will thoroughly examine her and may recommend skin testing to determine the source of her lesions. A fungal culture is used to check for ringworm and skin scrapes tests for the presence of mites. Allergies are most common this time of year though. Sometimes bloodwork is necessary as well. I hope this information helps and you can get her back to normal soon!

I am suspicious that this could be a lesion caused by either demodex mite or ringworm. I would highly encourage you to have a follow up appointment with your veterinarian. A skin scrape can be done to look for mites, they may consider a trial anti mite therapy in addition to an a topical anti fungal medication. If it still won’t heal then my next step would be a skin biopsy for more information on what the underlying problem is. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.