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My dog's licking a red, oozing spot near her rectum. Is it infected?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | 40 lbs

I'm house/dog sitting. The owner told me one of the dogs has always been itchy. I noticed she had been licking herself, like most dogs do, but I looked and it appears that there's a reddened area that's oozing near her rectum . Could this be an infected anal gland and/or possible bite? The owner will be back late Tuesday night.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 4th, 2019

Yes, just based on your description (since I can't see it), it probably is a ruptured anal gland abscess. If the dog will let you, keep the area clean (you can use a baby wipe) and apply some Neosporin to it twice a day until the owner returns. It would also be recommended that you get her a "cone" collar to stop her from licking it. If you don't want to buy one you can try to make one at one - see YouTube video link below: ( https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=make+dog+cone+home ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I received the photos that you sent but unfortunately I cannot get them oriented so I can’t tell what’s going on. Can you take a picture with the dogs tail up while it’s standing and take the photo a little farther away? Just post again like it’s a new question and don’t email photos because I may not get them. Either that or opt for a private consult. Thank you. Example of the kind of photo we need to see. ( https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://teamunrulyblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/img_5189.jpg&imgrefurl=https://teamunrulyblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/the-big-squeeze-lets-talk-about-anal-glands/&tbnid=FANP7qjbCCD6FM&vet=1&docid=RNCeMvXeBkgodM&w=2448&h=3264&hl=en&source=sh/x/im )

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