This morning, I noticed a weird matted spot on my dog Lally’s neck. On closer investigation, I found a sore around the size of a quarter on the right side of her neck, just above where her collar sits. Time to put my pet first aid skills into action!
First, I soaked a washcloth in warm water. After wringing it out, I applied the warm washcloth to Lally’s neck to help soften and clear away the dried blood. Once I could pick the hair out of the way, I could see the sore. It didn’t look like a cut, scrape, or puncture — Lally likes to check all the bushes for cats and other animals, and I wondered if she’d somehow hurt herself there.
I grabbed my trusty craft scissors and trimmed some of the matted hair away from the wound. (Moose helped me by trying to eat the hair that I’d cut off. Thanks, Moose!) With Lally in a headlock, I got several clumps of hair cut away and applied the warm washcloth again. Thinking that the hair would continue to get matted, I tried to trim some of the hair around the wound, too. It makes it easier to check and clean the sore with less hair in the way.
It doesn’t seem to be getting bigger but it is still bleeding around the edges. Because I’m a nervous mother, I called the vet. We have an appointment for Tuesday (tomorrow) morning to get checked… just to be safe.
I’ve seen shorter-haired dogs get sores from the friction of their collars or tags on their necks. My brother’s dog Lily — a white American Staffordshire terrier — tends to get a red, irritated spot where her tags rub against her chest. At home, she doesn’t wear a collar all the time to give her neck a chance to heal. When she does need to wear her collar and tags, we have a little cloth tag bag to protect her chest.
Hopefully, the solution for Lally will be quick, easy, and painless. Antibiotics to take care of any infection, and maybe a new collar that won’t rub her neck. I’ll let you know what the vet says!