My dog has a red spot under her nose that's growing. What should I do?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the picture you have provided, it appears that this could be bacterial or a skin parasite causing the lesion. The skin may need to be cultured and if a skin scraping has not been performed, I would certainly recommend having this done to make sure this is not due to a skin mite such as demodex. If this is not due to a mite and is still there, I would recommend a culture / biopsy of the area for a more definitive diagnosis. 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.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!! Sorry to see that Tiger has this lesion. It’s possible that this is a localized skin infection with some deeper swelling and involvement. That would be called a pyoderma and these lesions can be superficial or even a little deeper. This could be a primary skin problem or secondary to trauma, abrasion, allergies, exposure to ectoparasites (fleas/ticks), or even a tumor. I would advise anything lasting more than a few days to a week and not getting better, would need an exam by your veterinarian to assess. Hopefully this resolves over the next few days but if it’s not getting smaller/better, I would advise Tiger seeing your veterinarian. Thank you and good luck!

Hello. While it is impossible to make any kind of actual diagnosis, a lesion like this most likely has an underlying bacterial cause. We often see isolated & well circumscribed lesions on the top of the nose or muzzle just from the fact dogs stick their noses in dirt or other nasty things all day long. Putting anything on this is not recommended because he will lick it off. You can pick up a skin antiseptic like Hibiclens from any pharmacy & just dab this on a couple of times a day. Once your vet has a chance to look, he may put Luna on oral antibiotics, or take a small sample to look at under the microscope. Other than this, there is no need to worry too much about the lesion. Take care, all the best to Luna & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Ouch! Any new or suddenly growing growth like this should be checked out by your vet in person ASAP. Allergies, infections, skin irritation from rubbing it on things, and some growths and tumors can all cause spots like that on the nose, and can also cause rapid changes and discoloration like this. Until you can get to your vet, I would place an Elizabethan (cone) collar on Amber and keep the spot clean and dry to help reduce any further irritation. It is also a good idea to monitor the size and shape of it and how rapidly it is changing as this can help your vet figure out what may be going on. Your vet will likely take a full history as well as a potential sample of the spot to see what cells are present and provide treatment as needed.

This does look like a skin infection, but we cannot say whether it is bacterial or fungal. Your veterinarian may be able to tell with a quick exam and looking at the area with a special light that can diagnose ringworm fungal infections. In either case, this will be best treated with an oral medication....either antibiotic or antifungal. It is usually unrewarding to try to treat a lesion in this location topically because the dog will usually lick any cream or ointment right off. I would recommend that Neyle see her vet for a diagnosis.

Ouch! Due to how inflamed that looks I would definitely schedule a vet visit ASAP. Sudden growths/irritations like that can be due to a number of things including bacterial infections, tumors, irritation from digging/rubbing at the spot too much, allergies, etc so it's good to see your vet. They'll likely want to take a sample of the area to determine what is going on and how best to treat it. In the meantime, it's a good idea to place an Elizabethan (cone) collar on Nova to keep her from rubbing at the spot, as well as keep the area clean and dry. If the area is rapidly growing in size, taking note of the size, color, shape changes, etc can help your vet better determine what is going on. If you are noticing any other symptoms (sneezing, fever, loss of appetite, etc) these are important to let your vet know as well.

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 can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid rubbing/scratching if any. 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.