My 4-day-old puppy has a sore on his belly. What should I do?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor baby! It could be a burn from heating pad or lamp. Or it could be a hot spot from excessive moisture from the mother licking the puppy or lying in urine. Hot spots can crop up quite quickly. Since the puppy is so young it should ideally be seen by a Vet. the fur should be shaved to evaluate the area. If it is a hot spots can heal very quickly. I hope this helps and I wish you all the very best!

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.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Luna and for providing a picture, it's very helpful! It looks like this sore is scabbed over, which means it's healing. In the picture, it looks a bit pink around the area, but I don't see any signs of infection. At this point in time, I recommend just observing it for now. I don't think it requires a vet visit. Keep an eye on her when she goes outside to potty, and check the area daily. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus then it's infected and she needs to see the vet. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a focal infection. At least in this picture it appears to be superficial. Make sure that this is not from urine getting into that part of the skin and if it is, have him evaluated by a veterinarian. 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 day!

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may 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. Hope this answer was helpful, but 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.

Hello! This looks like some sort of reaction, possibly to a bug bite? It looks a little infected, too. Could you keep an eye on this, and try to prevent Murphy from licking at it? If it is growing or getting worse, it would be best to have him checked out by his vet, to see if antibiotics might be needed. Best of luck!

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This does look red and inflamed. It may be a insect bite or an infected hair follicle. I would recommend Oscar be seen by his veterinarian to have this evaluated further. He may need topical or oral antibiotics or other medications as needed. I hope this helps!