My dog has a leg wound. Can I treat it myself or should I see a vet?

This wound requires an immediate check up and possibly a stitch up as it seems infected and it is unlikely that will heal without immediate intervention. Proper disinfection and antibiotic treatment is required. 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

I am so sorry to hear that Felicia had this wound on her leg. I am sure it is very unsettling for you both. From the pictures you have provided it looks as though the wound may be deeper than appears, and thus may require a trip to the veterinarian. The wound appears to have been caused by a puncture, such as a bite, or perhaps if Felicia got caught In a Fence. These types of puncture wounds are often deeper and have caused more tissue damage then can be visualised from the surface. I bet would start by examining Felicia, and the wound itself. The wound would be cleaned and disenfected, the vet may need to sedate Felicia to debris even the wound, if necrotic or unhealthy tissue is present. The vet may chose to surgically close the wound with sutures or leave it open to drain and heal wiith scar tissue. The vet may also prescribe pain relief, anti-inflammatory medictaions and antibiotics to treat a possible infection, or prevent one. I would advise the seeing the vet within the next 24 hours. In the meantime you can continue keep Felicia as calm and rested as possible, and do not use any over the counter medications without the direct advice from your vet. I hope that this answer was helpful, and more importantly that Felicia feels better soon. Warmest regards to you both.

It's difficult to tell what's going on from the picture. I'm concerned there is a serious infection or a cancerous growth there and would recommend taking the pup to a veterinarian to be evaluated. If you are unable to do that, then the best you can do is to clean the area with lukewarm water and a mild soap, and keep it nice and dry. If the dog is chewing at it at all, an e collar can be used to prevent him from getting back there. However, I do not think this is going to resolve without veterinary intervention.

I did receive the photos you sent in this morning that were forwarded to me via our website moderator. The abrasions themselves can likely be managed at home with a sterile cleaning using Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water and then flushing the area daily thereafter with sterile saline from your local pharmacy. However, if you are also seeing swelling, this could pose a problem. Swelling underneath the skin following trauma is typically either of 2 things: an Abscess (infection underneath the skin) or a Seroma (blood filled sac) . An abscess will need to be treated by your vet, by having the area drained and then he will need to be placed on a short course of antibiotics. If this is a Seroma however, it will likely heal on its own as the body slowly reabsorbs the blood. As long as the Seroma does not get any bigger, which would indicate that there is continued bleeding underneath the skin that needs to be ligated via surgery. There really isn't a good way of knowing if this is Seroma or abscess by looking on the outside; however, with abscesses they are typically painful and will eventually lead to fever and illness (lack of appetite, vomiting) in most cases. Seroma's can be mildly painful, but won't cause a fever. So since you are limited on funds you can roll the dice and see if this thing causes systemic illness or not, or you can try to apply for financial assistance to get Wilber looked at immediately to make sure there isn't an abscess present. Here are some links for financial assistance. I https://carecredit.com/vetmed Here a couple of still up and running grant options: carecredit.com redrover.org/relief/urgent-care-grants/ (typical grant amount is $200) all-creatures.org/gcm/help-cf.html - $50 maximum aid WHEN they have funds. a couple of 'special situation' ones: fveap.org - Vaccine Associated Sarcoma only thepetfund.com/ - Non-basic, non-urgent care (cancer treatment, heart disease, etc.) ONLY. ! hope that this was helpful and hope that your pet Wilber is able to make a full and speedy recovery from his traumatic injury. Take care!

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). Ideally a check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. The area must be clipped more and disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths (twice daily). Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking (if any). 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

This should be seen and examined by a veterinarian. This could be an infected hotspot, an ulcerated tumor or another skin condition that needs veterinary attention. Since it looks infected I would definitely make an appointment for the next few days. Depending on the diagnosis your vet will prescribe medications or suggest removal of the mass. This is a tricky spot for mass removal, as there is very little skin available to close the wound, so it will likely take a few weeks to months to heal after surgery.

Oh my, this is a large wound for Ruger! Treatment and prognosis for this type of lesion will be dependent upon the initial cause (i.e. burns, cancer, ringworm infection, bacterial infection from a skin infection, etc.). Ideally, I do recommend taking him to the vet to determine if the wound has become infected so that appropriate treatment can be started. Topical sprays, such as Vetericyn, can be helpful with many cases of wound healing, but do not start any of these treatments without first consulting Ruger's vet. I hope that all goes well!