Bichon has sticky, smelly neck scab after haircut. What to do?

A,though a picture of it would be essential to determine the underlying cause more specifically, an allergy or a localised bacterial infection or mite infestation are possible. A check up at your local vets is needed to perform some skin tests and establish a diagnosis. Skin scrapes and tape tests will be performed.

Poor pup. This looks like a hot spot. This is a superficial bacterial infection that is initially caused by some kind of trauma/injury to the skin that then gets infected. You will need to have this area shaved by your vet and then get Biscuit on antiboitics to get this to heal. I would recommend scheduling an appt with your vet soon to have this taken care of. Until you can get Biscuit seen, you can certainly clean this area with Betadine diluted 50:50 with water to help reduce the bacterial load there and keep the infection down until he can get seen by your vet. Best of luck with Biscuit moving forward and I hope that this heals up well soon! Take care. : )

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a small focus of infection. You can try to shave around it and clean it. If it continues to look superficial (as it looks on the picture), you can consider applying a thin film of triple antibiotic on it in case it is just a mild infection. If it does not resolve within 1 week of starting such treatment, have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good day!

Poor guy. It does look like these are scabs due to possible trauma to the skin. If the groomer didn't notice these during the groom, we have to assume they were caused at the groomer. I would have your vet take a look at these areas closely as they likely will need a short course of antibiotics to fully resolve. There is also "hot spot" spray available at your local pet store that MAY resolve this skin infection as an alternative. I hope that Cookie's skin heals up well soon! Best of luck and take care.

This looks like moist dermatitis, a localized infection that usually occurs because of excessive licking/chewing in the area. Typically these need to be treated with oral antibiotics and the cause of the itch should be addressed and treated as well. I would recommend taking your dog in to be examined by your vet so the proper treatment can be initiated. In the meantime, you can try cleaning the area with dilute hydrogen peroxide and applying an antibiotic ointment on it to prevent further infection. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

It looks like a bacterial infection, maybe starting in a little spot of clipper burn, there's no way to be sure. I would clean the area with some mild soap and warm water, don't scrub too hard but try to soften and remove the crusty material, being sure to remove any trace of the soap afterward so it doesn't remain on the skin and irritate it further. Do this morning and night and if the area does not significantly improve in the next few days or gets worse, get him in to see your vet for an exam

Even though a picture would help to understand better the underlying cause, this presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking/scratching (if any). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.