My puppy has a gash and bald spots. Is his mom biting or playing?

Question

My youngest pup has a few bald patches and a small gash on his front leg. He acted fine yesterday but today started to act hurt. There are other animals around the neighborhood but no-one has hurt our other dogs and sometimes I've seen the mom bite at the 2 of hers that we kept legs. I thought that maybe she is playing with him but I'm not sure. The mom isn't violent or have temper problems so that makes me wonder that it can't be her. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 21 years and 3 months old | 3 lbs

Mirissa Duncil, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi there. Your mother dog doesn't have be be aggressive to "bite" her puppies. She will correct their behavior much like our parents do. If the pups play too rough or bite her, she will likely nip at them or send them a warning growl to let them know she's had enough and that she won't tolerate it anymore. Having littermates around also helps puppies establish these sorts of boundaries. With that said, puppies can get small wounds from all sorts of things that aren't necessarily intentional harm. Maybe he was bitten by another neighborhood dog? If the wound is deep he may need immediate medical attention, and if not and he starts using it again soon you can probably keep it clean at home with dilute soap and water and apply neosporin and a head cone so that he can't eat or lick any of it off until you can get him in to see his vet. Hope this info helps!

My puppy has a gash and bald spots. Is his mom biting or playing?

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