canine infections - boils

Question
i have a three year old Walker Hound who had a large lump "crop up" on her right side near her back leg. (This was noticed two days ago).  Yesterday the lump burst open  and now the lump has gone down but she has an open sore the size of a quarter tha appears to be quite deep.  She is tending to the area on her own by licking it.  She is eating, drinking, and her urine is normal and so are her stools.  I am a mother of four children and money is tight, and as you may know, veternarians require payment when you go to the office.  Is there anything over the counter or a home remedy that I can do for her?  

Answer
Hi Margaret.
First off dont let her lick it.  Get a buster collar so she cant get to the wound and make sure it is kept clean and dry.  There are several antiseptic powders you can buy that will do as a last resort if a vet is really not an option provided the problem does not get any worse.
If the wound starts to heal on its own then just make sure to keep it clean but if it gets any worse or fills up again then I'm afraid your only option for such a recurring infection in a wound is to go to a veterinarian for antibiotic treatment.
Hope this helps
Sarah