My puppy's tail tip has dried skin. Is it serious or just a scab?

It’s hard to say if he tail is infected since it just looks crusty now with the treatment. It does look swollen. Test it for pain or being able to feel heat as this can indicate infection. If that is detected, try to get him into the veterinarian ASAP. Applying sterile petroleum jelly can also help condition the skin and promote healing. The biggest component is to prevent more trauma. He ears do not appear red or seem to have an excessive amount of debris so I would say that look normal to me. Definitely keep an eye on the ears for redness, odor or shaking the head as this indicates a problem. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Aww poor Beau! The good news is that this tail looks pretty good to me. I can’t say for certain without looking at it but this could be normal healthy granulation tissue filling in his wound/surgery site. It could possibly be a small suture reaction or incision infection. If you can keep Beau from licking it (E collar), you can apply a triple antibiotic cream (Neosporin, etc) once or twice daily. Do not bandage the tail. Best of luck and hope this helps!

If Sadie wags her tail a lot and hits things with it, yes that certainly could cause damage to her tail and the big scab. What worries me is that she does act like it hurts her when you touch it a certain way. To be safe, I'd have it checked out by a vet. It's not an emergency, but I would see if you can get her into the vet in the next couple of days. I hope this helps!

Anytime there is an injury to the skin, a scab should form and should stay in place until the skin underneath is completely healed. If the area of Tula's scab was deep, it can take a while for the skin underneath to completely heal enough for the scab to fall off. If the area around the scab is red or oozing or the scabbed area is enlarging, then I would recommend having Tula examined by your veterinarian. Otherwise, it may just take a little longer to heal on its own. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The skin will probably not grow back and the tail will probably go through a process of necrosis, which may put his life in danger. i strongly recommend taking him to the vet, the tip of the tail will probably need to be amputated.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the picture, I suspect that this is a pustule that ruptured and crusted over. This could be due to a localized skin infection or this could be a fungal infection such as ringworm. The vomiting is likely unrelated so I would not worry about that as long as he is improved. For the skin, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine the area so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. A topical and / or oral medication may be needed for treatment. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Looks like an infection but I don't know what the underlying cause is. If he doesn't seem too bothered you can try applying this wound spray (you should be able to get it a your local Petco). If after 5-7 days of treatment, if no improvement or it worsens, he should see a vet. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-hot-spot-antimicrobial-gel-for-dogs )