My puppy scratched his neck abscess. What should I do to heal it?

That heavy discharge generally indicates infection. Your pup will heal the fastest if he goes in to see his doctor. The doctor may give him a systemic antibiotic or may only give him topicals if the lesion is very small. Sometimes these pets can be itchy as well and will get medication for that too. You definitely want to make sure that he cannot itch or lick at that area as it will make it worse. The doctor will also shave the hair as it needs to be exposed to the air to dry up. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sorry to hear about Misha's persistent issue! I would definitely advise that you have Misha seen by a vet. If this is truly an abscess, it may require a course of antibiotics to fully clear - otherwise it will likely continue to wax and wane as you've observed, and could become even worse if the infection is allowed to remain. It's also possible that Misha's issue is not a straightforward abscess - she could have another issue such as a cyst or tumor/mass, or even a foreign body (such as a thorn) that could be leading to a secondary infection. Your vet will be able to help determine what specifically is going on with Misha, and from your description I suspect your vet will likely put her on a course of antibiotics to help her heal. Hope this helps!

I would actually recommend taking Shadow Box into a vet now. The cut looks long enough to need stitches, and the vet can prescribe him pain medication as well as antibiotics to prevent any infection.

This looks like a local abscess from a bite wound or an insect bite or if there is a mass there it could have been a cyst that got infected. If he is licking it, I recommend to place a cone collar to prevent him from doing that. Also I would clean it with a mild anti-bacterial soap and water. You can try putting some neosporin on it but if it isn't improving, you will likely need to see your vet for an exam and some oral antibiotics to get rid of the infection. I hope this helps.

It looks like what we call a hot spot or moist dermatitis. These looks really painful. I would have him seen. He will most likely need some antibiotics and some topical medication to help dry this up. They can also give you something for the itching or pain relief. These usually heal pretty quickly once they stop messing with them.

I am sorry to hear about Coco. Unfortunately this area does look infected and she needs antibiotics to treat the infection. She also may need her rabies vaccine boostered if she hasn't had one recently. In some areas there are humane society/ animal protective league/ aspca locations that offer veterinary care at reduced prices, so you can look to see if anything like that is available in your area. If they are not, you can call different vet clinics to see if any allow payment plans or you can apply for Care Credit which is a credit card for medical bills. You can read about more ideas for this problem at: http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html I would apply a warm compress for 10 minutes to encourage drainage of the wound, clean the area with a mild soap, and apply an antibiotic ointment such as neosporin until she can be seen, but she does need to be seen to get systemic antibiotics.

Yes. Abscesses are infection and require treatment. Abscesses can become chronic or even turn into something like septicemia. It’s best to get them taken care of quickly. Make an appointment with his veterinarian. You also need to prevent licking and he should wear an Elizabethan collar at all times. I hope it heals quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.