Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

My dog has a small skin lesion. When should I take them to the vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Weimaraner | Female | spayed | 8 years and 4 months old | 50 lbs

My dog has a hole. It’s not deep and it’s not infected. It happened Thursday April 1st. How can I attach a picture??

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on April 4th, 2021

Thank you for sending the pictures! From what I can see, it looks like this lesion is only affecting the outermost skin layers, with the underlying tissue layers remaining intact. It's certainly possible that this lesion is from a traumatic injury, like the rubber bullet you'd mentioned, but it's equally possible that this is an infectious condition, like mange or ringworm. Since there is a good bit of skin damage that's bloody, it stands to reason that this type of lesion could become infected rather quickly, particularly if Crimson is licking at it at all. Even though we're now several days past the initial injury, I still recommend taking Crimson to her vet for an in person exam to thoroughly assess this lesion. Your vet may need to do some diagnostic testing to rule out infectious issues. Depending on their exam findings, your vet may need to prescribe oral antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory medications to aid in the healing process. Until your vet visit, be sure to prevent Crimson from licking at this lesion at all by putting an e-collar (cone) on her. I hope that she's on the mend soon!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

  • Image profile

    Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I'm sorry to hear that Crimson has a hole or lesion. Pictures can be uploaded when your question is initially posted. However, since your picture did not load, please email it to customerservice@Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.com. I'll update this answer once I receive the picture.

    Vote icon

    0Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Sponsored