My puppy has face swelling with discharge and a scab. Should I worry?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Those images could either be a bite that is infected, or could be a very enlarged lymph node and a condition called 'puppy strangles' where the lymph nodes swell up. Either way, it looks very serious and requires medical attention. The treatment for these two different conditions is very different and treatment for one could make the other much worse. I recommend you bring your puppy to a veterinarian right away for treatment. Best of luck with your little one, I hope he feels better soon!

A sudden swollen face is usuaally caused by some allergy, either an insect bite or an environmental allergy, or could also be a rattle snake bite. Check for oozing little wounds, there would be a little blood oozing but not coagulating. If you find those on the head, your dog likely was bitten by a snake and needs to be seen by a vet right away. If your dog has breathing problems, vomits or is lethargic, he should also be seen by a veterinarian right away. If he is happy, eats and drinks, you can observe the swelling and it should go down within 24 hours. Of course you can also take him to the vet if he is not in distress. The vet will give him an exam and likely an antihistamine and/or steroid injection.

This is most suspicious of a demodex (a microscopic mite) infection. They tend to have irritation and hair loss around their eyes and other parts of the face. It can also affect other parts of the body. Demodex is actually normally found on dogs and does not usually cause a problem. It is not uncommon for puppies to react to it at this age though. However, they usually will clear the infection on their own and don't need treatment. This will normally go away within three weeks. If it lasts longer than that or gets worse (losing hair on other parts of the body), then it's best to get her diagnosed and treated by a veterinarian. For now, you can give a little relief and prevent infection by washing the area gently with baby shampoo. Use cool water and flush the area for at least 5 minutes once a day. I hope that helps and Lola starts to get better soon.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bruno. I recommend that you seek emergency veterinary care. A swollen face can be a sign of an allergic reaction such as an insect bite or sting. If this is the case, it requires prompt treatment. If the swelling progresses, it can interfere with his ability to breathe. I hope this information helps!

Freckles could have a couple things going on. First she could have something simple called blepharitis which is inflammation of the eyelids. She could have a scratch on her eyes but she could also have something called Puppy Strangles. This is also known as juvenile cellulitis. This causes inflammation around the eyelids. The cause of this is unknown but can occur anywhere from 3 weeks to 4 months of age. Treatment for this is a long course of steroids, sometimes topical medications and oral antibiotics. I hope Freckles feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It sounds as though your vet initially suspected an infection causing the swelling around Lexi's neck. There can be some very minimal fluctuation in the prominence of the salivary glands and lymph nodes that are located under the neck, which can certainly occur with infections. However, other conditions can also cause swelling in these areas. Puppy strangles (also called juvenile cellulitis) is an autoimmune condition that can cause some pretty prominent swellings around the neck. Given Lexi's age, this would be my first suspicion. Other issues, including lymphoma or a salivary mucocele, are always possible, although they'd be highly unlikely in such a young puppy. At this point, I think your next step is to take Lexi back to her vet for a follow up visit. Your vet will likely want to run some diagnostic testing on this swelling or even some baseline blood work to check her blood cell counts and organ function. Depending on their findings, they may prescribe steroids to help treat puppy strangles or another medication to treat a different condition. I hope that everything goes well!

It's probably an allergic reaction, as long as she doesn't seem lethargic and doesn't have any problem breathing, it's probably not going to be too serious. Most allergic reation of this sort resolve without treatment within 48 hours, but if the swelling is too bad I would recommend taking her to the emergencies to get an injection for the allergy.