My dog has a wound with pus on its back. Should I go to the vet?

Related Answers from Veterinarians

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  Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

  Veterinarian

  Published on

  Poor Ninja! If there is pus in the wound, it means that it is infected, and that will require antibiotics to treat. Ninja will have to see a vet in order to have the infection treated. I would take him into the vet now. He will need the wound cleaned, and the vet can prescribe antibiotics to treat it.

  

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  Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on November 12th, 2019

  It is difficult to say for sure what is going on without pictures and not being able to examine this myself. If this is a chronic wound and the infection is not resolving, I would recommend culturing the wound to see if there is any resistant bacteria that the current antibiotics are not effective against. This may also not be an infection but may be a primary auto-immune skin disease. Again, I can't say for sure without pictures and without examining him but something like Sterile Nodular Panniculitis could potentially be something you are seeing. In this case, steroids would be needed to treat this and potentially a different antibiotic based on culture results. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. If you want a second opinion on this as well, I would recommend seeing a veterinary dermatologist.

  

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  Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on July 18th, 2017

  Poor Bruce! If he has a purulent discharge from the wound then he probably has a bacterial skin infection. If the topical therapy is not working then he needs some oral medications, like an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and possibly an anti-fungal. Maybe you could find a low cost clinic or contact your local human society and see if they could help. Unfortunately, if it is infected then it probably won't heal properly without some veterinary care. If he just needs an antibiotic then the bill should not be that much. You could call some local clinics and get some prices for an exam and antibiotics. If you absolutely can't take him to a vet then you could try to clean it with an antiseptic wound cleaner and continue to apply the topical therapy. Hope he gets better soon!

  

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  Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

  Veterinarian

  Published on November 9th, 2017

  This looks like a little abscess. These can happen for a few different reasons, but it's often due to something like a thorn getting stuck under the skin. However, this could be due to a parasite, resistant infection, or even a tumor. My best advice is to schedule an appointment with your vet in the next day or two, so they can have a better look at this and make sure it's nothing serious. In the meantime, it's best to flush the wound with clean water for five minutes twice a day. I do not recommend putting any creams or antiseptics on the area at this time, because it may complicate the healing process more than it helps. Once the cause of this is identified and removed, these usually heal well within a week or two. I hope that helps and this gets better soon.

  

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