My male dog's private area is sore. Is it an infection? What to do?

Poor Tommy! It could be from an injury. I would gently clean the area with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep him from licking at it, you can put an Ecollar on him. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and he will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it.

This looks like scrotal dermatitis, which is not uncommon in unneutered dogs. Often, there is an infection present, which will need prescription medication to treat it. This particular problem tends to take a long time to heal and can get worse without proper treatment. For these reasons I recommend taking Dexter to the vet for an accurate diagnosis and treatment. For now, wash/spray the area with cool, clean water (no soap or other antiseptics) for at least 5 minutes at a time. Do this at least twice a day. It's important not to put any ointments or creams on this, because they will likely be licked off and may not be helpful anyways. I hope that helps and Dexter gets better soon.

This presentation could be due to a trauma initially or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). For sure there is an over infection due to scratching or licking. 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.

The first thing you need to do is put a cone collar on him to keep him from continuing to lick the skin. He has scrotal dermatitis (an infection of the scrotal skin) and no matter what you use to treat It with, if he just continues to lick, it will not get better. So, get the cone collar ASAP and then apply this Vetericyn spray (linked below) to the affected area 2-3 times per day. If after about 5=7 days of doing this, it is not better than you need to have him checked by your vet. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/well-and-good-e-collar ) ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-hot-spot-antimicrobial-gel-for-dogs ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

This looks like a localised spot of skin infection which can be easily treated its antibiotic and antiinflammatory ointment on prescription from your veterinarian. The fact that he is licking his paw as well can be due to an allergy, which possibly can be considered in case infection is not resolved with treatment trial. I would recommend a check up at your local vet to confirm this clinical suspicion and treat appropriately. Hope this answer was helpful but please do not hesitate to contact us again in case you want to discuss this problem any further.

That appears to be moist dermatitis. Rukas really needs to see a vet for this condition. He also has some dermatitis in the groin area that I can see in the picture. Since the sores next to the penis are open and weeping he will likely need oral antibiotics to get that to clear up. While you are waiting to get him an appointment at your vet you can apply a thin layer of Neosporin to them 2-3 times per day but he will likely just lick it off. If he is licking it you can go to Petco and get him an E-collar (cone). https://www.petco.com/category/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-first-aid/dog-recovery-cones Hope this helps. Best wishes.

The main concern is if it is an infection being that close to the opening, it has potential to travel up the urethra and cause a bladder infection. You can try to clean the area with soap and water and apply cortisone alternate with Neosporin to soothe the area, just discourage licking while it is one. This will help coat the area to minimize the contamination. If it does not improve or it continues to bother him, then I would get it checked out.