Kimberly, I am NO medical expert by any stretch of the imagination, but with a mug as handsome as that boy's, I'd be heading to the vet due to the fact that you are seeing things advance quickly.

Go in saying "As few drugs as possible, as few tests, as little anesthia, etc..."

You don't want a possible infection migrating to jaw, etc...

 Quote: Barbara Schuler

Kimberly, I am NO medical expert by any stretch of the imagination, but with a mug as handsome as that boy's, I'd be heading to the vet due to the fact that you are seeing things advance quickly.

Ditto to that. The area already looks very aggravated.

Oh yes, from those other pictures I would want it checked too. It looks angry and irritated to me.

Don't try to self medicate. Go to your vet.

It looks like it's starting to involve other areas, could be fungal in nature, I'd be calling the vet. Nice looking dog.

Thank you for your responses. Would you have an idea of realistically what I can expect for an exam?

Will the Vet want to scrape it or something along those lines? If that is the procedure to determine just what it is, there wouldn't be a need to leave him and knock him out for that, right? He has gotten to the point where he does not like the Vet, he most always has to stay, be sedated, wake up in a kennel.

And the muzzle, that wraps right around where the problem is.


Oh, the furry four legged child. Urggg.

It looks like one of those mysterious oozy, yucky sores that my dog will get occasionally. I spray a melaleuca anti-fungal/antibiotic on it once or twice a day and it usually clears up in about a week. They never get very big, and never seem to really bother the dog very much.
Anything that you can do to boost the immune system (Vit. C, salmon oil/Vit E, raw beef liver) is bound to help.

With some issues with my own skin I take extra zinc for 3-4 days and it helps a lot. I always do better healing non-trauma skin issues from the inside out. You can get zinc suplements for dogs.

I don't think it is possible for any of us to answer what your vet might need to do or the charges, but you could take him in (call and ask for the office visit rate if needed) and get the doctor to tell you what they would need to do and the possible charges. You could then decide what, how many, etc... you are comfortable doing right now. Most docs know that not everyone can afford EVERY TEST KNOWN TO DOG KIND all at once and perhaps they can prioritize, etc... Best of luck.

Just to chime in, because it is getting worse, and bigger, I think a vet visit is not a waste of time or money at this point. It is hard to tell from the photos, could have been a small abscess that burst, or got more irritated from the muzzle, or could be a fungal thing. If he was scratching at it, that definitely could have caused hair loss around an abscess.

I would suggest you just be really straight with them about not wanting to sedate him. If it's not/never was swollen, hopefully there's not much of a pocket to require any flushing. Would he tolerate having his face clipped up a bit? We try to avoid sedation if restraint is possible, unless the animal is super dooper stressed out... or of course a painful procedure. I don't see any reason why his face couldn't be cleaned and examined without meds, but it depends of the staff at the clinic.

Good luck with your appointment, my guess is that it would just be an exam, clip/clean & send home with something topical (wash wise) and some oral meds. But, that's just a wild guess from some online photos!

I wanted to do a follow up on what is going on with Cerberus. I called the Vet that same morning, even before they were open and asked them to call me. I explained the sore on his face and asked for an estimate and if she could explain the procedure. I asked if I sent photos if it would help, so I emailed photos to the vet.

In explaining the normal procedure she told me they would be shaving the area, she said they would try to with out sedation, but knowing my dog, I just did not see it happening. As much as I hate to sedate my dogs, I felt it would be safer and less agonizing for him to be sedated, rather then scared and stressed.

So, the estimate was as I had thought, about 300.00 after antibiotics. I knew it would be at least a day before I could come up with any money, so I went and got him some Zinc and I bought a bottle of Vinegar.

It looked better after the first application of Vinegar. I have him back in the E collar, been applying the Vinegar/water mixture, the zinc and it is no longer oozing, not getting bigger.

The skin looks to be healed except a small part in the middle.

Thank you for all your suggestions.