My dog's tail has scabs and pus. Can I treat this infection at home?

It’s hard to say if he tail is infected since it just looks crusty now with the treatment. It does look swollen. Test it for pain or being able to feel heat as this can indicate infection. If that is detected, try to get him into the veterinarian ASAP. Applying sterile petroleum jelly can also help condition the skin and promote healing. The biggest component is to prevent more trauma. He ears do not appear red or seem to have an excessive amount of debris so I would say that look normal to me. Definitely keep an eye on the ears for redness, odor or shaking the head as this indicates a problem. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

These look like little crusts associated with a skin infection. Your dog was probably chewing his tail excessively and caused the skin infection. If it is localized to only the tail he probably will not need antibiotics. You can try to use a topical antibiotic ointment on the area to help clear it up. If you cannot get it to clear up or if it begins to spread I would recommend taking Louie in to the vet to be checked out.

Poor girl. Infected areas on the skin that are draining puss almost always need oral antibiotics to successfully treat them. I am so sorry that you live so far from a vet but you need to find a way to get to that vet soon, despite the long travels. Until you can get her there try to get your hands on some Betadine and dilute it 50:50 with warm water to help slow down the progression of the infection. However to completely clear things up you will unfortunately need to get your vet involved. You can continue the wraps as needed, but the heat compressions aren't really necessary.

This presentation could be due to a localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and eventually 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 licking. 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.

Oh poor pup! She definitely needs to see a vet, but here's what you can do in the meantime. 1) Rinse the tail with warm water (no soap or antiseptics) for five minutes. 2) Apply some antibacterial cream (like neosporin) to the wound and try to tape a bandage over the area. If you are able to keep the bandage on, then repeat the above daily. If you cannot keep the bandage on, then rinse the area three times a day if possible. Don't be surprised if a lot of that brown scab stuff comes out with the rinsing and bandage. It's actually good to remove that stuff gently. Just avoid scrubbing or picking at the scabs. I hope that helps and Cali gets better soon.

That looks infected. Pets can get infections like bacteria or yeast. Sometimes the infection is related to flea bites or allergies. You must protect the area from licking/chewing by having Denzel wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian and he will likely get antibiotics, an anti-inflammatory (which will decrease the itching and make him feel better) and a medicated shampoo. If fleas are the cause, discuss which flea prevention is best for him. I hope this helps.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is difficult to say for sure what the cause is as there is a lot of matted fur and crusted material over the area. I do see the green pus you are referring to, which to me tells me that there is likely an infection going on. This may be due to a resistant bacterial infection, which may explain why it has not been responding to treatment. If you have already been giving antibiotics and the area is not improving, it may be time to culture the area to determine what the causative bacterium is so that the most appropriate antibiotic can be used. If you are able to, I would shave all the hair away from this area so that you can get this area clean and keep it that way. I would use betadine and dilute that in saline so that you have a light brown solution to help disinfect the area several times per day. There is a product which you can purchase online that may help called vetericyn. I hope this helps and hope this problem resolves soon! Please let me know if you have any further questions / concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.