My dog has a scab. Is it an emergency or should I limit outdoor time?

There could be a few things that look like that. An infection that ruptured through the skin, a bite wound, a fly larva or a cyst that popped could all have this appearance. I would recommend to take Pepper into the vet within the next 24 hours to have an exam and likely antibiotics. Make sure to protect the area from Pepper licking it or scratching it as this will make it worse. Also make sure to clip the hair short and wash it with an antibacterial soap! I hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. While I don't think this is an emergency, I would get Nemo in to see a veterinarian as soon as you can. I strongly suspect that there is an infection in his skin and he is probably very uncomfortable. Until you can take him to the vet I would clean the area with an antiseptic solution such as dilute betadine (to the color of weak tea) or hibiclens. Both of these should be available at your local drug store. Then dry it well and apply a thin layer of topical triple antibiotic ointment. Do this twice daily. I hope that Nemo feels better soon!

I'd leave it be for now, and have your family monitor it for signs of infection (redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, pus). If there are any signs of infection, have them take Kiko into the vet. Best of luck.

Ouch! That does look pretty irritated, so if it doesn't scab over or continues to look weepy, it's a good idea to have your vet take that look on Wednesday as it may need some anitbiotics. What you're doing at home currently is perfect! I'd continue to use the E-collar to prevent pawing at it, and keep the area clean and dry. You can use a clean compress to gently keep it clean so as to not cause more irritation by rubbing at it or accidentally bumping the scab as excessive cleaning may actually be slowing down the healing process. It should be fine to wait until Wednesday to have it looked at unless it massively swells up, becomes painful to the touch, or starts to ooze any cloudy or green discolored debris (all signs of infection).

Oh no, this isn't good. At this point in time, you cannot treat this at home, Pepper needs to see a vet now. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

It is really hard to tell from a photo alone what is going on in the skin, however it is evident that something is causing inflammation of the skin. Dermatitis can be caused by many things including infection, irtitants, parasites, allergies or metabolic conditions. With you being away stress may have had a role in this. Ask your friend if they have given any new foods or used new shampoo? I would advise you to get to a vet for a skin exam in the next day or 2 as it is best to nip this sort of thing in the bud before it spreads.

It looks like it was healing under the scab, however I am a little concerned about the area on the leg where this lesion is. THis is very close to the knee joint, which may mean that your dog had pain in this area and therefore was gnawing on it. I recommend you have this examined by your veterinarian a there may be a problem with his knee joint.