Hot spots in dogs and how to treat them.
What is a hot spot?
Hot spots are oozing, smelly skin lesions on your dogs skin. They are often self inflicted due to itching, scratching, licking or chewing the irritated area.
What causes hot spots?
There are many causes of hot spots in dogs, basically anything that can cause your dog to be irritated such as:
Hot spots are oozing, smelly skin lesions on your dogs skin. They are often self inflicted due to itching, scratching, licking or chewing the irritated area.
What causes hot spots?
There are many causes of hot spots in dogs, basically anything that can cause your dog to be irritated such as:
- Allergies
- A damp coat
- Ear infections
- Fleas or other nasties like mites or even a bug bite.
- We have noticed hormonal changes in some of our girls can cause them to have a breakout such as a season or during or after whelping a litter.
- When our dogs have blown their coat and the new coat is growing in they can become “itchy” which can lead to hot spots.
- Improper grooming
Hot spots on dogs are normally caused by chewing, licking, and scratching of an affected area. This trauma to the dog's skin then causes inflammation and even secondary infections. This then creates a perpetual cycle of itching and scratching since the bacterial infection is another irritant.
Depending on the severity and cause of the hotspot you may need oral antibiotics or treatment for the root cause so do contact a vet if necessary.
How we deal with hot spots and reccomended products
Having several double coated dogs we have had our fair share of hot spots over the years and have tried and tested several different products.
We have found that the below method seems to work best for us.
We have found that the below method seems to work best for us.
- Step one- clean the area.
We use hibiscrub as it is an antibacterial wash containing chlorhexidine gluconate which is effective against a wide range of bacteria, yeast, some fungi and viruses. I have linked the product below if you click the image it will take you to purchase it (we don’t sell products)
- Step two- where necessary and safe to do so remove any hair that may stick to the hot spot or cause further irritation.
You can use clippers or scissors to achieve this.
- Step Three - apply silver/aluminium spray to the area
Silver aluminum spray is a flexible, breathable, and antiseptic film that can be used to treat cuts, grazes, and abrasions. It can help create an optimal environment for healing and protect against bacterial infection and dirt.
I have linked the product below, if you click the image it will open a new window.
- Step four- discourage chewing and scratching. You can use a doughnut collar or cone. We use a doughnut on the chow chows link below (click the pic)
Finally, don’t forget to seek medical attention if ever your dog requires it.
Hot spots can be painful and become quite seriously infected so your dog may need to see a veterinarian.
Hot spots can be painful and become quite seriously infected so your dog may need to see a veterinarian.
