My dog has a swollen, itchy, pus-filled face. What should I do?

This is called moist dermatitis or a hot spot. They start with an itch from an insect bite or an ear infection then become severe when the dog scratches it excessively. The skin then weeps, becomes painful in addition to itching and will often have a lot of sticky discharge on it and in the surrounding fur. I recommend washing this with a warm wet cloth to remove the discharge. Then you can spray a hot spot medication on it. You can purchase one at PetCo. The most important thing is to put him in a cone to prevent scratching. If you are unable to do this then bring him in for an exam so they can treat it. They can give him pain medication and something to reduce the itching. They will also check his ear for infection. These are painful and take time to fully heal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Duke.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria and commonly called hot spot). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection can eventually 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. 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.

Hello, and thank you for your question and photo! It looks like Trooper may have folliculitis (inflammation of the hair follicles), caused by bacterial infection, demodex mites, fungal infection, or allergy. He will require a vet visit, but in the meantime, I would suggest wiping the muzzle area with a mild soap or chlorhexidine solution which you may be able to find at the pharmacy. This will hopefully keep the muzzle area clean until definitive treatment can be started at the vet. If Trooper is scratching at his muzzle, you may need to put an e-collar (cone) on his head to prevent further trauma to the area. Once at the vet, they may recommend some tests such as a skin scraping, cytology, or fungal culture to rule out the above causes. From there, the appropriate medication can be prescribed. I hope this helps, and that Trooper gets better soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely a hotspot which is a very inflamed focal infection. Usually these occur secondary to allergies, among other possibilities. It is very important to treat these infections appropriately and the sooner they get treated the better for the patient. I recommend that you have Buster evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They are likely going to prescribe anti-inflammatory medications and antibiotics. In the meantime, you can use an e-collar (which you may obtain from your local pet store), to avoid further self trauma by him scratching at it. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the photos, it appears that Girly may have a severely infected hot spot. This could have happened from moisture becoming trapped on the fur, allergies, a wound, etc. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Girly so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. This needs to have the hair completely clipped from the area, antiseptically cleaned and an oral antibiotic most likely. 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.

Poor girl. This may be an infected mass or even a cyst. I would recommend having your vet take samples from this to be certain as to what is inside and perhaps the vet can also carefully drain it using a needle and syringe. In the meantime you can do alternating cold and warm compresses on the area for 5-10 minutes twice a day, if tolerated. Otherwise, your vet will need to get involved here to get this resolved. Best wishes with your pet Stormie and I hope you can get this source of discomfort taken care of soon for her. Take care.

Check and see if he has any scratches or cuts that need to be cleaned. If he does, clean them gently with a clean washcloth and tap water. Do not use hydrogen peroxide as this will be very irritating to the damaged skin and if it gets in his eyes it could cause damage to his cornea. You can use some dilute Betadine (available at any pharmacy-- put some water in a cup and add just enough Betadine so that it looks like tea) if you are wanting to use something that is an antiseptic (kills bacteria). You can give him some Benadryl, as the swelling could be due to an allergic reaction from the bush. See the attached article for dosing information. If he is pawing at his face, put an E-collar (cone of shame) own him so he doesn't scratch his skin or eyes. If he isn't looking better in the morning, or if he is getting more uncomfortable, more swollen, or starts vomiting or showing any other symptoms, seek emergency veterinary care. https://www.petcoach.co/pet-medication/benadryl/ Thanks for asking PetCoach!