My senior Aussie has a skin lesion. Could it be an insect bite?

Hello, thank you for your question about Buddy. Based on the photos that you have attached I think that it is very possible that this lesion could be a bug/spider bite. It is also possible that Buddy was exposed to something irritating to his skin. If he is not bothered at the area and it does not seem very painful I would recommend continuing to monitor him. If the lesion progresses or he develops any additional symptoms I would have Buddy evaluated by your veterinarian. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly an infection site though it is hard to really see well based on a picture. An examination would be really helpful in determining what is the most likely cause. Since it has already started improving, I would recommend you continue monitoring this. If you notice any discharge, bleeding or pain from it, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Best of luck!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. It is difficult to say from the pictures what this could be for sure. My suspicion is that this is a local reaction to an insect bite or sting. Other trauma might include something that poked into the skin and cause irritation. I would clean the are with diluted Betadine in sterile saline (a light brown mixture should result) and monitor. If it is worsening I would have a vet examine this. You can also give adult benadryl. The dose is typically 1mg per 1 lb of bodyweight every 12 hours. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Hello there. Thank you for using PetCoach and thank you for including photos. My best guess is that this is ringworm. It does not look like a bite. I suggest you get Molekin' to your vet for an exam and to get a proper diagnosis for two reasons. Number one, ringworm is contagious to people and number two, an adult dog that gets ringworm usually has an underlying problem with their immune system. An adult dog should not get it. This is much more common in puppies. Remember, it is impossible for me to diagnose over the internet with just a photo. I am just giving my best guess. Many skin diseases look similar to the naked eye so that is why testing is important. Here is a link to an article about ringworm: ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/ringworm-in-dogs/ ) If you wanted to try something at home first you can buy over the counter athletes foot cream which is an antifungal and apply that twice daily. It may take 2+ months for it to clear completely up but you should start noticing a difference in a .couple weeks. If you don't have any improvement in 2 weeks or it worsens then you definitely need to get him to the vet. Wash your hands thoroughly after touching this spot just in case it is ringworm, you don't want to get it! ( https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lamisil-Cream-0-42-Oz/10294288 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. This could possibly be a black fly bite. If this is the only lesion Peppa has you can try applying this hot spot gel spray to the affected area two to three times per day until it resolves. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/3-oz-3-fl-oz-hot-spot-antimicr-2877113 ) If there are more of these lesions, more lesions come up in the next few days or this one lesion gets worse or does not resolve in about 7 days then you need to take Peppa to your vet for an exam. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thank you for sending the pictures! From what I can see, it looks like this lesion is only affecting the outermost skin layers, with the underlying tissue layers remaining intact. It's certainly possible that this lesion is from a traumatic injury, like the rubber bullet you'd mentioned, but it's equally possible that this is an infectious condition, like mange or ringworm. Since there is a good bit of skin damage that's bloody, it stands to reason that this type of lesion could become infected rather quickly, particularly if Crimson is licking at it at all. Even though we're now several days past the initial injury, I still recommend taking Crimson to her vet for an in person exam to thoroughly assess this lesion. Your vet may need to do some diagnostic testing to rule out infectious issues. Depending on their exam findings, your vet may need to prescribe oral antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory medications to aid in the healing process. Until your vet visit, be sure to prevent Crimson from licking at this lesion at all by putting an e-collar (cone) on her. I hope that she's on the mend soon!

The brown recluse spider can produce extremely serious clinical signs shortly after envenomation. These usually include vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding disorders, organ failure, and death. Without life saving measures, typically dogs do not survive. Since this occurred two weeks ago, it is highly improbably that this was the cause of Buddy's recent skin issues. From the picture above, it actually looks like a skin tag but your description is very different. As long as it is not oozing or being a bother (and appears to be healing slowly), Buddy may be on the up and up. The veterinarian can certain perform diagnostic testing of the lesion in order to identify the cause and type of problem if this is something you are interested in pursuing. However, I am not sure that this is really necessary at this time. If the areas starts to become infected, stops getting better, or becomes later, I would definitely recommend a visit to the vet some time soon.