My dog has red, swollen, pimply wounds on his legs. What should I do?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. This is quite severe and warrants therapy. The likely secondary infections need to to be addressed and the itchiness also need to be addressed to prevent this issue from getting worse. Medications like prednisone can be used for the itchiness and antibiotics for the infections. In the meantime, you can use an e-collar in the meantime to prevent further self-trauma. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This looks like furunculosis which is a deep bacterial infection of the skin. It will not resolve without a long course of oral antibiotics. Now, that being said, this could be a primary issue or a secondary issue - I cannot tell you without examining her myself and doing some testing. You really need to take her to your vet for an exam as soon as you can. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

From the pictures, the skin appears red and inflamed. It does look like it is infected. While this may not be a true emergency, I would recommend getting in to see your veterinarian very soon. Pookie will need the area shaved and cleaned up. Your vet may prescribe an antibiotic for this as well depending. Until you can get to your vet, you can keep the area clean and dry and use a mild soap and water to clean the wound. If Pookie is licking it, you can put on ECollar on her to prevent licking.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely infected. I think it would be best to have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check the extent of the wounds and see what would be best to treat them. What you can do in the meantime is use an e-collar in the to prevent further injury. You can buy that at your local pet store or online. Good luck and have a great day!

The spot in the picture looks infected, it will need to be clipped and treated with antibiotics. he will also need to wear an e-collar in order to prevent him from licking the area and making it worse. i would recommend taking him to the vet in order to get it treated.

Hello. That is a pretty nasty reaction/infection. I would definitely recommend antibiotics for a situation like this. You will need to see your veterinarian who can examine the area & start Lilly on the appropriate therapy to clean things up. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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. 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.