My dog's spider bite burst and is draining. What home care is best?

Hello, sorry to hear about Charlie. It sounds like he may have a local area of infection. I agree that the area itself will likely take a long time to heal, however, if he is vomiting and having a lethargy (systemic signs) then this is more concerning for an infection that may be spreading to other parts of his body. This does warrant an emergency visit today. There is a high possibility that his vomiting and decreased appetite is associated with his wound and infection, but there are also other causes for these clinical signs as well. Hope this helps and best of luck!!

Ouch. The area does look quite swollen and possibly already infected. Depending on the spider that bit Rocco, he may need antibiotics, steroids and antihistamines to prevent the skin from being necrotic (dying off) and systemic bacteria (bacteria floating in the bloodstream which can be life threatening) from developing. i would suggest cleaning it with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water for tonight if a vet visit is just absolutely not possible. This will help provide some topical antiseptic cleansing of the wound. Take special care not to get any of this in his eyes. Then getting Rocco seen by a vet first thing in the morning to get this area looked at and treated appropriately. However if a vet visit tonight is possible, then getting him seen right away is best, before it gets any worse. I hope everything works out well for your pet Rocco. Best wishes and take care.

You can spray the antibiotic spray on it in the meantime but as it is getting worse he will need to have oral antibiotic prescribe ASAP, the area should also be shaved to make it cleaner and less prone to get reinfected.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like the tissue has begun to granulate, which is a good step in the healing process. The "burn" he feels is likely due to the exposed tissue bed which still feels very "raw" With the size of this wound and the type-I usually recommend oral antibiotics as well as a topical healing agent like Manuela honey. For these-you will need to see a veterinarian for a prescription, especially if OTC topicals are no longer helping. You have done well so far, but it looks like this wound may just need a little more help. Clipping the hair around the border of the wound will help keep it from trapping fluid seepage from there as well. I hope this helps!

The brown recluse spider can produce extremely serious clinical signs shortly after envenomation. These usually include vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding disorders, organ failure, and death. Without life saving measures, typically dogs do not survive. Since this occurred two weeks ago, it is highly improbably that this was the cause of Buddy's recent skin issues. From the picture above, it actually looks like a skin tag but your description is very different. As long as it is not oozing or being a bother (and appears to be healing slowly), Buddy may be on the up and up. The veterinarian can certain perform diagnostic testing of the lesion in order to identify the cause and type of problem if this is something you are interested in pursuing. However, I am not sure that this is really necessary at this time. If the areas starts to become infected, stops getting better, or becomes later, I would definitely recommend a visit to the vet some time soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may still be normal after a spider bite. However, something like an abscess or a growth cannot be ruled out just by looking at it. I would recommend you continue the course. However, if this gets worse such as getting larger, I recommend you consider having it sampled to make sure he is not developing anything else. Best of luck!

It really depends on the location, severity and the clinical signs associated with the bite. If the bite is on his body and he is otherwise acting normal, you could clean the area with an antiseptic wound cleaner and apply an OTC topical antibiotic. He might need an oral antibiotic to prevent infection, an anti-inflammatory, and/or some pain medications and your vet could prescribe. Some dogs get bit in the mouth and it can cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhea and may require treatment to help stop the vomiting and diarrhea. If you have any concerns about the bite then he should be examined by your vet to determine the best way to treat.