What should I do if my dog has a wound? When should I see a vet?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. This appears to be a wound but I am unsure as to where on the body it is located since the photo is zoomed in. Based on its appearance, I would recommend getting Charlie in to be seen by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. The longer this goes unseen, the more risk there is for infection. I would recommend having this evaluated and potentially putting Charlie on antibiotics and pain medications to help treat this. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This wound looks very superficial and will likely heal up on its own. If it does not heal up in the next 5-7 days or it appears to be getting worse, have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I highly recommend that you have both of your pups evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. These wounds can get infected very easily. Also, it is crucial to check if any of these wounds need further local therapy such as stitches. Your veterinarian could also start pain medications as usually lacerations like that are painful. Good luck and have a good day!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is impossible to tell from the picture how this happened, or how deep it is, but what can be determined is that it is a severely infected wound. Possible causes are penetrating traumas (sticks, bites, etc.), some parasites/worms can cause wounds like this, and some tumors can present in abnormal ways, however that is less likely. I strongly recommend that you have Star seen by a vet as soon as possible, as the wound appears deep and is definitely infected. It needs to be cleaned up, explored, and medications provided. Best of luck with Star, I hope she feels better soon!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You should take Murphy to your local vets for an appointment as this wound should be clipped, cleaned, flushed and potentially stitched up under sedation. It would take a very long time to heal if the wound was treated with antibiotics only. The symptoms of infection usually develops in the first 24hrs and include fever, discharge, swelling and pain around the wound.

Hi and thanks for posting! Sometimes bite wounds can leave pockets in the skin making the wound worse than they appear initially. It would be a good idea for this to be evaluated by a veterinarian. Your veterinarian will asses the area for pockets in the skin and asses whether or not stitches are needed. It seems small enough for tissue glue to be used but the wound may need to be closed with a stitch or two. A lot of bacteria is intro introduced into the skin and surrounding tissue during a bite. Brisquette may need systemic antibiotics as well to help lessen the chance of developing an infection. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor girl! This actually look more like a scab from some mild trauma. While I do not see evidence of a bite in that picture, that is still possible and an examination would be needed to determine that for sure. Because it is small and mild, I think it would be ok to treat at home. You may apply a thin film of triple antibiotic ointment on the affected area twice daily for 5 days. If this does not improve or resolves, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. There is a very good chance that this will improve quickly. However, if you notice any signs of worsening, like severe swelling, have her evaluated. Good luck and have a great day!