My dog has a bite wound. Should I use Neosporin or see a vet?

Question

I found a puncture wound on Finn’s forehead when I got home from work. I think the dogs were playing too rough and our other dog bit him too hard. How should I go about taking care of the wound? I put Neosporin on it but should I be doing something else? Does it look bad enough to take him to the vet? he doesn’t seem to be behaving any differently because of it. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 1 year and 9 months old | 40 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

It's not easy to see the extent of the puncture from the picture, but it appears somewhat minor. It's always best to have a vet examine it and provide treatment, so if you can have him seen in the next 24 hours, that would be great, but may not be necessary. The first thing you should do is flush the wound using a syringe or other dispensing device with warm water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because dogs tend to hate water getting near their face. I recommend having someone help you with holding Finn to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Infection is the biggest concern with these wounds; so after flushing, it's best to apply the Neosporin cream to the wound. In order to keep the wound clean, it's best to flush the wound 1-2 times a day and gently wipe away any big crusts - make sure not to scrub the wound, because this can make it worse. Apply the antibacterial cream after each flushing. If the wound starts to swell or have pus oozing from the wound, then I'd recommend he goes to the vet for treatment. Otherwise, the wound should heal fine over the next 2-3 weeks. I hope that helps and Finn gets better soon.

My dog has a bite wound. Should I use Neosporin or see a vet?

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