How to treat my dog's skin irritation after neuter at home safely?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. With the symptoms you are describing, this could be what we call a mild case of puppy pyoderma. I would recommend bathing with a shampoo such as Douxo PS chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved. I would also recommend starting malacetic conditioning spray 2 to 3 times per day until resolved. If this skin condition does not resolve or if it worsens I would have a veterinarian examine the area. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Generally, you would want to wait until after 10-14 days after surgery to allow the incision to heal well before bathing him. There are other anti-microbial options that could be considered in the meantime. If this very severe and cannot wait, you can check in with your veterinarian for alternatives. Otherwise, I would wait a bit longer. Good luck!

This is commonly seen when they get a skin infection (aka hot-spots). The neck is a common place for this to happen, because moisture often gets trapped under their collar and/or loose skin. It appears to be rather involved and there could be a deep infection - these are not easily treated without antibiotics. Considering it has been getting better with your current treatment, I think it's fine to continue treating at home for now. If it's not mostly resolved in two weeks, or gets worse, then I'd recommend a visit to the vet. Here are my recommendations for successfully treating this wound. 1) Clip the hair around the area and expose all of the lesions. 2) Wash the area with cool water and a medicated shampoo (can get this at the pet store) once a day. Use a cloth and gently wipe away the scabs. Do not scrub, because it will irritate the skin more. It's OK if all of the scabs do not come off in each washing. 3) Make sure the area is completely dry after washing. 4) Leave the collar off. I hope that helps and Zeus gets better soon.

It sounds like he could have a bacterial skin infection and may need an antibiotic. Have your vet take a look at him to determine the cause and prescribe medications to treat. He may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, and/or corticosteroid to help. You could aslo bathe him with a medicated dog shampoo, like Epi-soothe, to see if that helps.

The first step would be to place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further scratching or rubbing. The image shows a collar which is good. Use a warm washcloth to keep the eyes clear. They look inflamed, and possibly infected though. Ideally, he should be rechecked by your veterinarian. If he still has sutures from his neuter, when he returns for suture removal, have the vet check the eyes. He may need medication. There's nothing you can give him at home. Discuss payment plans or alternative financing such as CareCredit (www.carecredit.com) with your veterinarian. You can also ask about low cost or no cost clinics in your area. Financial assistance may possibly be secured through local charities or Red Rover (www.redrover.org).

Yeast infections are especially itchy, crusty, and smelly. Often a dog starts with a rash or with simple itching but the skin thickens to an “elephant” skin appearance. The itch is extreme and the odor can be especially troublesome. Parts of the body or the entire body can be affected. Malassezia overgrowth is particularly problematic where there are skin folds ("armpits," eyelids, facial folds, lip folds, throat latch, and especially between the toes). Treatment can be topical, oral, or both. Topical treatment is best used for localized spots of infection while oral medication would be better applied to larger infected areas. If the yeast infection is recurrent or if one wishes to supplement oral medication, topical and oral treatment can be combined. Oral medications are available through your vet. Shampoos such as Chlorhexiderm Max® or Malaseb® shampoo both strip skin oil and kill yeast; however, other anti-yeast products include Selsun Blue®, Miconazole® shampoo, Nizoral® shampoo, Douxo® shampoo and more. The pet must be bathed twice a week to start and the shampoo requires a 15 minute contact time (meaning do not rinse the lather for 15 minutes). It is important to realize that yeast overgrowth occurs in response to a primary problem be it allergy, seborrhea or something else. If the underlying problem is not controlled, yeast dermatitis is likely to periodically recur. It is common for allergic dogs to require some kind of periodic if not on-going anti-yeast therapy.

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection. 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 (if any). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem if the redness does not improve in the next 4 days.