My 3-month puppy has a skin infection. Should I take him to the vet?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely a site of infection or an abscess. I highly recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If an infection is confirmed, antibiotics and local cleaning would be recommended. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Thanks for the pictures. It appears as though Sparky may have a bacterial skin infection, or puppy pyoderma. A lot of times puppy pyoderma resolves on it's own. If it gets worse than this I would recommend taking Sparky to the Vet to be evaluated and prescribed oral antibiotics. You can try a medicated shampoo: bath every 2-3 days and allow the lather to sit on the affected skin for 10 mins before rinsing. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27306 I hope this helps and I wish Sparky the best!

This looks like a skin infection. It can either be bacterial or fungal. Your veterinarian can evaluate Max's skin and provide medication to properly treat him. This treatment may be oral medication but also topical shampoos. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a focal 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!

It may be a little skin infection. It is common and easily can happen. They can also make it worse themselves. I would recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to have them evaluate it since it may require antibiotics. Without seeing it though I cannot say for sure. Remember you can always upload up to 3 pictures when submitting a question. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Remy. This looks like a bacterial skin infection, often called staph pyoderma/bacterial dermatitis. I would advise taking Remy to your veterinarian and let them gather a history and perform an examination. Based on their findings, they will probably advise treating this infection. This may involve a medicated shampoo, oral antibiotics, anti-itch medicines, etc. Good luck with Remy. This type of skin infection is NOT contagious to other dogs or people.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Boondi. This is a bacterial infection caused by a staphylococcus organism which is a normal skin resident. This is very common in puppies due to an immature immune system, nutritional/intestinal parasite problems, and environmental causes. I would advise taking the puppy to your veterinarian for an examination. Your vet can advise you on treating this condition and also on providing the best preventive health care (vaccines, deworming, etc). If you cannot get to a veterinarian, I would advise a benzoyl peroxide medicated shampoo. Lather her up well with the shampoo and leave the lather on for 10 minutes so it can work. Rinse very well. Repeat this 2-3 times weekly until improvement occurs then decrease to once weekly until gone. She might need antibiotics to help clear this up. Good luck