What should I do if my dog has a wound? When should I see a vet?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | American Pit Bull Terrier | Male | unneutered | 7 months and 2 days old | 40 lbs
Can u tell me what to do
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on April 11th, 2018
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a fairly superficial wound at least based on this picture. However, it would still be a good idea to have him evaluated by a veterinarian to look at it more closely in case it is deeper than what it looks like. Also, these can be painful and can get infected so your veterinarian could potentially start antibiotics and pain control medications. If superficial, these wounds tend to respond well to therapy and heal relatively quickly. Good luck and have a good night!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on January 22nd, 2020
This looks fairly small and superficial in your picture. If this was a bite wound you should see a vet since there would be a high risk for infection, otherwise you can probably monitor for a few days. If you notice redness swelling or discharge or if the wound is not healed in 7 days you should see a vet.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
I have been looking after this dog for about a week. After a couple days after I was watching over her, I noticed this one wound on the side of her head. I don’t know if it’s something I should worry about or if it’s something I should definitely go
Is our dogs wound healing
Hi can you please help me identify what this could be & how to treat it?? I found this wound or ulcer on my Kelpie yesterday. Do I urgently need to take her to the vet? Thanks
Is this a bad enough wound to take to the vet?
Hi just noticed a wound underneath Luna’s Front leg. There’s no blood but the wound is open. Do I need to go to the vets? Or Will this close naturally? The wound is just larger than a fingernail in size.
I just found this hole next to my dog's eye, is it dangerous, can I take care of it myself or should I seek medical attention immediately?
Can someone explain what this is?
My dog got into an altercation with his brother. They are both puppies, a little under 3 months neither have had their rabies shots. One of them has several gashes on his front right leg, one of which was bleeding pretty badly but stopped. We cleaned
Are you able to tell me what this is or what may have caused this?
Our puppy came running inside helping with this wound, which appears to be deep (down to the muscle). We are concerned it may be from an attack from a predator like an owl. We didn’t clean it out but applied triple antibiotic ointment. His temperam
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
