How long does it take for dog rash to heal

Timeline for Dog Neuter Recovery: Week by Week

This article was updated on June 1st, 2023

Dog neuters are an extremely common surgeryroughly 80% of dogs in the United States are spayed or neutered. This means that vets are performing them all of the time. As a veterinarian, I average 3-4 dog neuters per week. Its with this experience that vets are able to send your dog home with such a detailed recovery plan and timeline. If they dont, read on to find out what the days and weeks following your dogs neuter will be like for them (and you!).

What is a Dog Neuter Surgery?

For first time dog parents out there, or those that have an inquisitive mind and want a few more details, lets first go through an overview of what a dog neuter entails. You can call it neutering, castrating, sterilizing, or fixing, either way, its the removal of the testicles to prevent reproduction. Along with that, neutering also prevents illnesses such as testicular cancer and prostate problems and can help tame some aggressive and wandering behaviors.

Routine Neuter Surgery

For most dogs, this is an uncomplicated surgery that takes place outside of the body. These are for dogs where both testicles have descended into the scrotum. Your vet will be able to tell if both testicles are where they should be or if he has one or both retained in the abdomen.

After a dog is sedated and put under general anesthesia, the area directly in front of the scrotum is clipped and scrubbed. A veterinarian will don their sterile gear, drape the area, and make an incision in the skin. The testicles will be pushed forward, the cords will be ligated, and the testicles removed. The skin will be stitched up with sutures or staples. Some sutures will need to be removed and some will absorb over the next few weeks.

Cryptorchid Neuter Surgery

A cryptorchid is the word for when one or both testicles forgo the journey to the scrotum. With any luck, your vet will be able to locate the missing testicles just under the skin elsewhere in the groin or near the entrance to the abdomen, called the inguinal canal. The skin incision will then be made in these areas and the surgery goes the same from there.

Some dogs will have still have his testicles inside their abdomen. This becomes a more involved surgery since it requires going into the abdomen more like a spay rather than neatly staying outside the body wall. If this is the case, no problem, but expect a slightly longer recovery period.

How Long Does a Dog Take to Recover From a Neuter Surgery?

Some dogs arent even going to know anything happened, and others are going to feel a little off. Either way, most neuter surgeries are considered healed and recovered in two weeks. Hell be looking at a few days of rest and then restricted low impact activity for the first week. During the second week, he may start to increase activity if everything is going well and be back to complete normalcy by the end of the second week.

Recovery Timeline After Neutering Your Dog

Week 1

Lets break it down as to how your dog should be feeling and what you both should be doing for the two week dog neuter recovery period.

Day 1:

Some veterinary hospitals will keep your dog overnight following neuter surgery and some will send him home later in the afternoon. Either way, your pup will more than likely feel a little groggy. You may also notice:

• Lack of or decreased appetite
• Slight discomfort
• Decreased energy

Youll want to give them a quiet place to rest. If its the same day as surgery, your vet may advise you to offer small amounts of water and hold off on food until the next morning. This is just because the anesthesia can make him a little nauseous. Give all prescribed pain medications and keep him from licking the incision by using a cone if you have to.

Days 2-3

Give your dog those first few days following surgery to rest. Let him lounge so that he doesnt irritate the incision or risk puling out any stitches. Feed and water him as normal. If he still has a little nausea from the anesthesia, feed smaller amounts of food more frequently. He may have some bruising around the incision which may be helped by icing for 10 minutes a couple times a day.

Be sure to check the incision at least once a day. There shouldnt be any swelling, redness, bumpiness or discharge. Contact your vet if you see any of these or if your pup still isnt feeling back to normal.

Rest of Week 1

If the incision is looking well and your pup is feeling normal, you can go ahead and start to let him exercise some. Just keep it low impact and low level. Leash walks are great. No jumping, heavy running, or swimming. Continue to check the incision and contact your vet if anything seems off. He may still be experiencing a little discomfort and may wince if he makes certain movements but will usually go about his day as normal.

If your pup had a cryptorchid neuter, he may be in a little more discomfort and require a few more days of rest. No worries, though. Just let him move around as he wants with the same kind of exercise restrictions.

Week 2

As long as your pup is still healing normally, you can start to increase his exercise times and levels of intensity. Still try to avoid heavy running, jumping, wrestling or swimming until closer to the end of the week. Keep an eye on the incision and finish up the pain medications if needed.

By the end of two weeks, the skin incision should be healed, staples and removable sutures can be taken out. This goes for a cryptorchid neuter as well. Most vets dont require a recheck unless youre concerned about something. Once the skin is healed, your pup is good to go!

Related post: Spay Surgery Recovery Timeline

• Dr. Chyrle Bonk received her Master in Animal Science from the University of Idaho and her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Oregon State University in 2010. She has over 10 years of experience in small animal veterinary practice, working for a veterinary clinic in Idaho.

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Disclaimer: This website's content is not a substitute for veterinary care. Always consult with your veterinarian for healthcare decisions. Read More.

Cellulitis: How long does it take to heal on legs?

Cellulitis is an infection of the deep layers of the skin. It develops when bacteria enter through a cut, bite, or wound including tiny breaks in cracked, dry skin. Common skin-dwelling bacteria, Staphylococcus or Streptococcus, are the usual culprits. Although cellulitis can occur anywhere on the body, the most common location is the lower leg.

Dr. Arash Mostaghimi, a dermatologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, weighs in on new research that explores important questions about how long it takes to fully heal.

What are the symptoms of cellulitis?

The body's natural immune response to this bacterial invasion triggers a painful rash that appears red on lighter skin and dark purple on darker skin. The affected area also may be swollen and feel warm.

How is cellulitis treated?

The typical treatment is five to 10 days of antibiotic pills. More serious cases may require intravenous antibiotics.

How quickly can antibiotics help cellulitis resolve?

After starting antibiotic treatment, people usually notice improvement within a few days. However, the area may remain swollen, warm, and painful even after 10 days.

Does that mean the antibiotic treatment was ineffective? Not necessarily, according to a recent study of people with cellulitis in the lower leg that described the natural history of the healing stages following antibiotics.

"The healing process has two parts, which is why a full recovery takes longer than you might think," says Dr. Mostaghimi.

First, the antibiotics and your white blood cells work together to kill the bacteria. But your body's immune response against the bacteria may take a while to shut down. As a result, this second stage of the healing process may include some residual symptoms, he explains.

What did the study find?

The study included 247 people with mild to moderate cellulitis of the lower leg who received antibiotics for seven to 10 days. By day 10:

• Their swelling had lessened by 50%, and the size of the affected area had shrunk by about 55%.
• A blood marker of inflammation, C-reactive protein, dropped during treatment and reached near-normal levels in all the participants.
• Still, more than half continued to report discomfort in the affected leg, with 14% ranking their pain as 5 or greater on a scale of 1 to 10.

This pattern of discomfort isn't unusual, especially with leg infections, says Dr. Mostaghimi. As people are recovering from leg cellulitis, they're often advised to elevate the leg, which helps to ease the swelling. (Putting a warm, moist washcloth on the area may also help.)

But after they feel better and start walking more, fluid shifts back down into the legs. So it's not surprising that the area might feel a little swollen and uncomfortable again once they're back on their feet, he says.

Who is at greatest risk for cellulitis?

Remember, cellulitis typically occurs when bacteria normally present on our skin manage to breach that shield to enter the body.

Some people who develop cellulitis have no obvious injury or skin damage to explain the infection, which can occur in people who are generally healthy. However, people with certain health problems are more prone to cellulitis. This includes people who are overweight or have diabetes, a weakened immune system, poor circulation, or chronic edema (swollen limbs).

Additionally, skin conditions such as eczema and athlete's foot can create small cracks in the skin that make it easier for bacteria to penetrate deeper into the skin, Dr. Mostaghimi says. Scratching a bug bite until it bleeds is another possible entry point for bacteria.

What happens if cellulitis goes untreated?

Untreated cellulitis can be very serious. The rash may spread, be surrounded with blisters, and become increasingly painful. Nearby lymph nodes may become tender and swollen, followed by fever and chills. Seek medical care right away if you experience these symptoms.

The bottom line

"It's important for people with leg cellulitis to realize that it may take a bit longer after finishing your antibiotics for all of your symptoms to completely resolve," says Dr. Mostaghimi. You'll probably start to feel better within a few days, but always finish all the pills in your antibiotic prescription. However, having residual symptoms once you're done does not mean you need another course of antibiotics or a different antibiotic, he says.

Stages of Ringworm Healing

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Okay. So you think you have ringworm. A physician gave you a fungal exposure test and your results will be available by the end of the day. After the disappointing news you were given a prescription for anti-fungal cream or youre told to get yourself some over the counter Lotrimin before being sent on your way.

Whether you head to your local pharmacy, or leave it to amazon to deliver Lotrimin antifungal ringworm cream for yourself, or Curab Shampoo for the pets: youve got this!

After several days of treatment, youre happy to report less itching, and even the redness is reduced. You feel normal again, but are you cured? Did the ringworm resolve?

In a word: No. The stages of ringworm healing has only just begun! As youre about to see in the upcoming ringworm healing chart, a typical ringworm infection, even with treatment takes 2-4 weeks to be fully eradicated.

Whats more is as long as you have ringworm, you can infect someone else and they, in turn, can re-infect you.

Pets and People and Ringworm

Please also note: if you have pets, your home is even more susceptible to the never ending cycle of ringworm and the passing of ringworm back and forth until the fungus is removed from your home.

If this sounds familiar, read our in-house article: cleaners that kill ringworm.

Lets cover the stages of healing so you can get an idea of where you might be in the process and then well cover some other FAQs about ringworm.

Stages of Ringworm Healing Chart

Here is a visual chart of the progression of ringworm. It sequences a ringworm infection from first exposure to the time youre completely healed. The color zone means you are contagious and can pass ringworm spores to someone else (or your pet).

How long does ringworm take to appear?

The typical symptoms of a ringworm fungal infection are: redness,irritation, itching, cracked or scaly skin, bumps and/or ring-shaped rashes.

These symptoms appear within one or two weeks following contact with the infecting source. Most often it will appear on one of these areas of the body: the toes and feet (tinea pedis; athletes foot), underarms or torso (tinea corpus),and the genitals or buttocks (tinea cruris; jock itch).

Note: if your ringworm is on the toes and feet, (athletes foot) consider Lotrimin spray (link to spray product) vs. cream, especially if its hard for you to reach your feet. The spray is known for getting into hard to reach places.

It may also occur on the scalp when hair is regularly sweat-laden and hot, such as under a hard hat. This last type of infection should be treated immediately by a doctor as it can be more severe.

How long does ringworm take to heal?

While the actual length of time will differ from person to person, it generally takes 2-4 weeks for the condition to clear up with treatment. Here are some ways to tell where you are in the healing process:

Stages of Ringworm Healing With Treatment

Stage 1: Less itching

The first symptoms of ringworm that will diminish during treatment are theitching and redness. Blisters and the ring-shaped rash will still be present,but may look less red and irritated. It is important that you continue usingthe anti-fungal even though you may be feeling better.

Stage 2: Flaky skin appearing

The next sign the ringworm infection is healing is the appearance of flaky skin. Do not use hand or body lotions unless instructed by your physician. Wash the skin with warm water and pat dry with a soft cloth. Continue applying your anti-fungal ointment as prescribed.

Stage 3: Skin sores oozing

Oozing sores are the bodys way of flushing infection. Do not prematurelypuncture or drain blisters. Wash only with warm water and pat dry with a softcloth. Continue applying your anti-fungal ointment as prescribed.

Stage 4: Redness fading

Skin will appear mostly normal with minor blemishes. During this stage your prescription will may run out. Still wash area with care and watch for any breaks in the skin or return of symptoms. Consult your Dr. at once if youre re-entering the cycle.

How to tell if skin fungus is dying

Two to four weeks is a long time for a ringworm infection to heal. How can you be sure the otc ointment or prescribed fungal cream is doing its job? When you are applying the anti-fungal ointment every day, you may wonder about some things you see at the infection site:

Why does ringworm causeflaking skin?

Dry or flaky skin is a sign that the fungus is being deprived of the damp, musty conditions it needed to grow. This is good! Wash with warm water and pat dry with a soft cloth. Do not rub, or scarring may occur.

Does ringworm ooze whenhealing?

Yes. Even if youre avoiding scratching or rubbing, some parts of the infected area may ooze or drip. This draining is necessary for the healing to progress properly. Wash carefully with warm water and a soft cloth. Alcohols or antiseptics can damage the healing skin so follow Drs orders only.

The oozing condition will diminish over time as the infecting fungus is killed off and healthy skin replaces it.

Back to the doctor?

The healing process does take time and goes through several stages. Most doctors and pharmacists will tell you to KEEP using the cream even though you think the ringworm is gone. Visit your doctor if:

• the infection appears to spread
• the healing seems stuck in one stage
• the rash returns: redness, irritation, itching, cracked or scaly skin, bumps and/or ring-shaped rashes.

Preventing future infections

How can you avoid a ringworm infection in the future? Remember, the fungusthat causes ringworm thrives in damp, dark places. Pay particular attention tobody areas with joints and creases where sweat and dirt can easily collect.

Here are a few preventative measures:

• Avoid areas where fungal infections are common
• Wear protective gloves while treating another infected person or animal.
• Wear clean breathable fabrics, like cotton, around feet and genitals.
• Dry skin thoroughly before dressing.
• Wash sweat and grime from skin and hair as soon as possible following vigorous activity.

Background: What is ringworm?

Despite the name, ringworm is not a worm infection. Ringworm infections area type of dermatophyte (skin infection) and cannot be treatedwith a de-wormer. Ringworm is caused by contact with fungus. Fungus thrives indark, damp areas and can infect people or animals. Ringworm can infect almostany part of the body if the climate is hot and humid.

Ringworm can be transmitted animal to human, and human to human as long asthe lesions or ring-shaped marks are visible, oozing, or otherwise opened.

Ringworm Healing Summary

Some ringworm infections can be severe and require systemic treatment by a doctor (such as the scalp variety). However, most are successfully treated by applying an anti-fungal ointment to the infection site. The ointment can be prescribed by a doctor or purchased over the counter. The active ingredient in most anti-fungal ointments for humans is clotrimazole.

The ointment is typically applied for two weeks, but it can take up to fourweeks to resolve some severe infections. Follow your doctors instructions.

Resources:

Centers for Disease Control, Ringworm https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/ringworm/treatment.html

The Mayo Clinic, Ringworm https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ringworm-body/symptoms-causes/syc-20353780

World Health Organization, Dermatophyte infections https://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Jh2918e/5.html

Stoppler, Melissa C., Dr. Ringworm MedicineNet https://www.medicinenet.com/ringworm/article.htm