I saw something on my Atticus' rear left leg this morning when he went out for his usual morning potty break.  I called him over, and when i bent down to take a closer look at his leg I saw something that alarmed me.  It seems as though he has chewed off some of his hair and there is now some exposed fresh layer skin and a tiny sore. The whole area is about the size of a quarter (give or take) but the actual open wound is not that large. I don't know what this could be?! He hasn't done anything unusual or different lately.  I have another husky and he doesn't have anything like this.  I have kept an eye on Atticus all day and i saw him picking at it earlier and he stops each time i catch him and tell him "no" but it worries me because i don't know what it is or why he has it. It doesn't seem to be too painful because he has not whined at all and he will let me lift his leg to look at it.  Plus, i can't be home with him 24/7 tomorrow to keep an eye on him due to work.  Any ideas as to what this could be?
Pictures included below.  
* Atticus weighs roughly 57lbs, and will be 2 on June 16th, 2014.

Thank you!!!

Looks like a hot spot. I've only ever had it happen with my foster Standard Poodle girl. Hot spots happen when a dogs natural bacteria "overpopulates" a section of skin. Usually happens with dogs with compromised immune systems.

I treated my girls hot spot by shaving her hair. Now, she is a Standard Poodle, so shaving her hair is no big thing. I've never had to deal with it with my Sibe, but we all know not to shave a Siberian. However, I think you will need to talk to your vet to determine how severe the hot spot is and if it warrants being shaved or not; or hopefully someone who has dealt with this with their Sibe will chime in .

I prefer to treat most things I can naturally, but Luna's hot spot was very big and very raw, so I didn't want to wait and went out and bought a yellow liquid treatment from Tractor Supply. It actually worked very, very well and very, very fast. Her hot spot was over an inch in diameter, so I wasn't messing around lol.

First off though, you need to clean the area. Use Betadine (or whatever you can find at your local pharmacy) and dilute it until it is a medium brown color. Apply it to the area using a softer wash cloth or a gauze pad. If you choose to treat at home before seeking vet attention, you'll want to repeat this as many times as needed to make sure the area stays dry. We had to treat Luna's wound about every 3 hours I believe? Then you want to put a topical treatment on it. I don't recommend vinegar or anything like that; too painful on an open wound.

Next you'll need to try and figure out WHY he got it. Common causes are: Allergies, both environmental and food, painful conditions (like nerve issues), emotional and mental causes-think stress.

Edited to add: To keep him away from the area, get yourself either vet wrap (can be bought at a tractor supply store) or wrap it with a t shirt. You can also get normal wrap you'd get at a pharmacy store for "human wounds" and use that. That's what I used . If you are afraid he will chew it, put a t shirt or bandanna over it.

Like I said, hopefully someone with breed specific experience can chime in since Standard's and Sibes are two totally different worlds in regards to coat care. Good luck!

I agree with Kelsey, I also think it's a hot spot. My pup had one a couple months ago and what got his to finally go away was keeping it dry and putting a cone on him when I couldn't watch him. The vet shaved around it, and gave me some yellow goo to put on it, but that just seemed to make it worse since it stayed moist, and the shaving gave him razor burn. So, I used a mild disinfectant called Vetericyn hot spot spray that I got from amazon. So I cleaned it with the spray 2-4 times a day, then dried it with a paper towel and left it uncovered so it could get some air. After a few days of this routine it healed up pretty quick after about a week of no progress with the goo. You can also use gold bond powder to keep it dry and help with the itching, just don't let them ingest it.

Kelsey is also right about finding the cause. His was either a food allergy or from his neuter (it was about a centimeter from his incision, so I'm thinking it was itchy as it was healing. Atticus' doesn't look too bad so you may not need to shave around it.

Okay, so I should probably take him to the vet right? I just spoke to them in the phone explaining what I found on him and if I brought him in they said they would shave the area, apply medicine, and probably give him antibiotics and possibly a topical depending on what they think.
I have to work today and tomorrow during the vets office hours but my fiancé is off on Friday so I think he will be taking him Friday morning. I'm going to keep an eye on it until then and possibly use my own clippers to trim the hair around it.

Honestly, it really doesn't look too bad. I would try some home remedies first and take him to the vet in a week or so if it doesn't get better.

Yeah I agree it doesn't look that bad. I really hope it stays that way. I worry too much about my dogs. They're my babies!

You definitely want to start treating it NOW vs later though, regardless of how it looks. Those things can manifest and get worse in the blink of an eye; trust me. They suck.

What do I need to do to treat it ?

I gave you lots of different options as did Jen. Just read through our posts and jot down notes. Then head out to the store!