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My dog has a bloody neck wound. What can I do before the vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Bichon Frise | Male | unneutered | 8 years and 1 month old | 11 lbs

Hi, my dog Lucky has a wound under his neck that is much bigger n bloodier than yesterday. His Vet is seeing him tmrw at 5 but I'm worried. He's a little Bichon. What could it b? N is there anything I can do to help from now til appt?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on December 14th, 2017

Poor Lucky! I'm glad to hear that his vet will be checking him out tomorrow. From the picture, the skin lesion looks most like a hot spot (aka acute moist dermatitis). If you have clippers on hand, you can try to carefully trip the hair over and around this skin lesion to allow for better air flow. You can also gently clean his skin with an antiseptic solution, such as diluted chlorhexidine or diluted betadine, but be sure to rinse and dry thoroughly. If Lucky is scratching at his neck, it would be best to put an e-collar (cone) on until his appointment. The vet may need to prescribe antibiotics, steroids, or topical sprays to help this lesion to heal. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

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    Answered By Emily Fukuzato, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 9th, 2017

    Hi, if the area on Magic's neck is very red, possibly painful, has a foul odor, and/or is bothering him it may be a "hot spot". A "hot spot" is essentially an area of the skin that is infected and inflamed. Even if you have an Ecollar on Magic to try and prevent him from scratching at it, it may still need medication to heal. These areas are typically very moist, but the heal best when allowed to dry. Keep the area dry and prevent further bathing of that area. Magic may be able to obtain some medication from his veterinarian that would greatly speed along the healing process for him. I highly recommend an appointment with his doctor. I hope he is feeling better soon!

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