My dog has a swollen spot with hair loss. What could be the cause?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a severe focal infection. I recommend you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment as this will likely require local therapy with cleaning of the site, pain control medications and antibiotics. Also, your veterinarian could check for a possible underlying cause like allergies, mites or a foreign body reaction. Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the photo, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at this to rule out the various possible causes. This could be a bacterial infection, fungal infection such as ringworm, etc. The veterinarian will be able to perform some additional testing and have a better look at it so that the most appropriate treatment can be recommended. I hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! At this point the area looks infected. It could be from a burn but it's hard to say from the picture. I recommend seeing a vet tomorrow to determine the cause and start treatment. In the meantime you can wash it tonight with a mild soap (like Dial) and water to relieve some of the irritation. Good luck and kisses to Rocco!

Bo's lesion looks most suspicious for a bacterial skin infection, but could also be due to ringworm, mange, or bruising. Since it does not seem to be bothering him, you can monitor the lesion for the time being to see if it changes colors, grows, becomes itchy, or spreads elsewhere. You can also try bathing him with an antimicrobial shampoo (here is one example: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27982 ). However, if the lesion worsens or seems to be causing discomfort, it is worth taking a trip to the vet for evaluation. I hope that all goes well!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be a skin infection. You can try to use a medicated shampoo containing chlorhexidine twice weekly for 2 weeks. If there is no improvement or in the meantime this appears to be getting worse, have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This lesion could potentially be something like an abscess for example based on its appearance and your description. However, other things are possible. I recommend that you have Candy evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If an abscess was noted, further local therapy with drainage and antibiotics would be recommended. Good luck and best wishes!

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.