Incontinent dog with spinal injury has open tail sore. Is it infected?

Hi there and thanks for posting! The wound you posted a picture of is a little hard to see, but it does look red, swollen, and draining a bit which isnt good. Although not necessarily an emergency, Molly should be seen as soon as possible for this. If your vet isn't open this weekend or available to get you in today or tomorrow, then going to an emergency vet would be my recommendation. I wouldn't wait until Monday on this one. Hope this helps and best of luck!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It depends on what it is exactly. if the sore appears to be red, inflamed, draining, or has discharge coming from it, I'd recommend holding off on the neosporin and seeing your veterinarian to have it fully evaluated. Lilly may need a prescription medication from her vet in order for it to properly heal.

Sorry to see what's going on with Marlee. The first thing that you need to do is shave all the hair on and around the affected area. After doing this, you can use an antiseptic solution like chlorhexidine or dilute betadine to clean the lesion and the surrounding tissue. This will give you a better idea of how it looks. Based on the picture alone, the lesion looks pretty infected. You can certainly try to treat with just the antiseptic and a topical antimicrobial / steroid, but this may not be enough. In cases like this, many times an oral antibiotic is required to help clear this up. You will also likely have to put a collar on Marlee to prevent her from causing further damage to the area her self. Hope this helps.

While it is nearly impossible to say what the original cause of this irritation was, Molly now has a full-fledged lick dermatitis lesion on her tail. The best things you can do are the following: -Clip the area surrounding the lesion so now hair is touching the affected part -Scrub the area with antiseptic like chlorhexidine or dilute betadine -Apply a triple antibiotic ointment and a topical steroid ointment -Put an e collar on her to prevent further mutilation of the area -Treat for fleas / ticks if she is not already on something for this, as this the most common cause for lesions on the hind end and tail If you believe there is truly a lump beneath that infected area, you should have it looked by your veterinarian once the area has healed up so that appropriate diagnostics can be made if necessary. Hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is difficult to know just based on a picture though I am suspicious that this may be an infection. Even if it just blood, it would still be indicated to proceed with a recheck with your veterinarian so that the bandage can be removed and the wound looked at more closely. Then they would be able to recommend therapy accordingly. Best of luck!

It’s hard to say if he tail is infected since it just looks crusty now with the treatment. It does look swollen. Test it for pain or being able to feel heat as this can indicate infection. If that is detected, try to get him into the veterinarian ASAP. Applying sterile petroleum jelly can also help condition the skin and promote healing. The biggest component is to prevent more trauma. He ears do not appear red or seem to have an excessive amount of debris so I would say that look normal to me. Definitely keep an eye on the ears for redness, odor or shaking the head as this indicates a problem. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Without an image, it is difficult to say if there is infection. Place an e-collar (cone) on Suzy to prevent further licking. Keep the area clean and dry. You can use diluted Betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) to clean the area. This may be enough to allow for healing. Monitor for lethargy, fever, discomfort, discharge, redness, swelling or odor. These are symptoms that may indicate infection and should be addressed by your veterinarian.