How to treat a dog's skin ulcer and prevent infection at home?

Poro Bartly! Skin ulcers require medications from the vet to treat, so I would have him seen by a vet for these medications. In addition, skin ulcers are a sign of underlying disease or infection, so it's best to have a health check done on him as well. Take him in first thing Monday for it.

This is large and ulcerated as you said. Since it's on the elbow area that is difficult to bandage. You can put a long sleeve Tee shirt on Foster to keep the area protected from licking. I recommend cleaning it daily with a warm damp cloth and applying a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. Talk to your veterinarian about trying a course of antibiotics. They will reduce any infection which may help it dry up or make it less inflamed. This would be difficult to surgically remove at this point due to its size and location but getting a second opinion from a surgical specialist is what I would do if you want to consider surgical removal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Foster.

Sorry to see that sugar has a lesion on her skin. My recommendations for that would be to get a hair clipper and remove all the hair on and around the affected area. Once this is done I would pain either a diluted Betadine or chlorhexidine solution and scrub the area until it is pretty clean. After having done this I would have obtain a triple antibiotic ointment or something with an antibiotic and steroid in it and apply it generously to the area one to two times a day. In addition I would obtain an Elizabethan collar to prevent sugar from performing any sort of self-mutilation which will ultimately delay the healing process. In some cases these lesions can require systemic antibiotics in which case it will not clear up and you will have to take sugar to the veterinarian to be seen. Hope this helps take care.

Poor guy. I would recommend cleaning it with an antiseptic like Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water OR Chlorhexidine solution 3% or 2% diluted with water until light blue mixture. This will help keep the area clean until you can get him in to see your vet. You can try placing an oversized t-shirt on him to help keep the area from being rubbed constantly when he lays down. I would not cover this completely if it is already infected. Best of luck to you and I hope that Dude's ulcerated mass can be successfully treated soon! Take care.

Hi, and thanks for your question. Even though a picture would help to understand better the underlying cause, 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/scratching. 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.

Poor Lobo. I would gently clean the wound with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep him from licking at it, you can put an Ecollar on him. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and he will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. Best of luck.

Kona needs to be examined by the veterinarian. Nonhealing wounds are concerning for cancer or an autoimmune condition. Sometimes the vet will recommend a biopsy right away to get a diagnosis. Sometimes the vet will try treating for infection to see if it responds to therapy. The first step is to have Kona examined. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.