Our beloved canine companions can often exhibit quirky actions and behaviors, but if you notice they have an itch that’s hard to scratch and they’re scratching more than usual – your beloved canine friend might be dealing with a skin condition known as dog hot spots.
As one of the most common skin conditions in dogs, particularly in the warmer months, you’ve probably seen hot spots from time to time. These painful and often oozing sores seem to appear spontaneously and spread rapidly. While they cause much annoyance to your dog, they can be treated easily and are not generally a cause for concern.
Hot spots are known more formally as “moist dermatitis”. These spots may appear anywhere on your dog’s body but are found most commonly on their head, legs, and hips.
So, What Exactly Are Hot Spots?
These areas of skin or “spots” are actually localized areas of skin inflammation and bacterial infection. What happens most often is that a hot spot will begin as a small red area that owners may mistake for an insect bite or scratch. However, unlike an insect bite, hot spots rapidly worsen and spread, developing into a painful wound-like lesion.
The Self-perpetuating Hot Spot Cycle…
Hot spots are often caused by scratching, licking, or even chewing the affected area. This causes an unending cycle, however.
The resulting trauma from the scratching and licking causes inflammation and secondary bacterial infections. This serves to make the area even itchier, which creates a self-perpetuating cycle of itching and scratching.
With this in mind, any condition that causes your dog to feel itchy has the potential to result in a hot spot. Common causes of the itching/scratching cycle in dogs include:
- Flea allergy dermatitis
- Food allergies
- Parasites
- Skin or ear infections
- Contact irritants
- Psychological issues like stress or boredom resulting in excessive licking
- A coat that is matted or dirty
- Moisture trapped in the coat from swimming or bathing
The above list contains many chronic problems that can lead to a recurrence of hot spots if they are not appropriately managed. Thus, identifying and addressing the underlying cause for your dog’s hot spot is perhaps the most important factor in preventing them.
Some breeds of dogs in particular, like Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Labradors, and Rottweilers are genetically predisposed to developing hot spots due to their thicker coats.
Also, warm weather and periods of high humidity make your dog more prone to developing hot spots, due to the excess moisture trapped against the skin from their coats.
Symptoms of Hot Spots
Though the symptoms of hot spots are easy to identify, they share much in common with other skin conditions, so it is important to consult your veterinarian if you are concerned about whether or not a new sore is a hot spot.
Hot spots are generally quite well-defined areas of redness, swelling, and even hair loss. The affected area is typically moist and may discharge pus or fluid, which can lead to further crusting and matting of the surrounding coat.
It is important to note that hot spots are painful and very itchy, and the more your dog continues to traumatize the area with scratching, the worse they can become.
That’s why it’s important to address them as quickly as you notice them.
How To Tell If Your Dog Has A Hot Spot
Though such examinations are best left to your vet’s expertise, as an owner you should be able to tell if a new sore is a hot spot. For example, the area often presents with flaking and a marked redness of the skin. It could also, at its worst, be an oozing area with blood, pus, and perhaps a bad smell signaling infection.
Your vet will typically use the following techniques to diagnose the issue:
- Skin biopsy
- Impression smear for cytological evaluation
- Skin scraping or skin culture
- Specific allergy testing
Treatment For Hot Spots
First and foremost, if you suspect your dog has a hot spot, the first step in treatment is to visit your veterinarian.
Sure, it may be tempting to wait for the hot spot to resolve on its own, as they sometimes do. But delaying treatment will only make the problem worse and cause unnecessary distress and physical discomfort to your dog.
The most effective way to treat the hot spot and prevent it from recurring is to examine any potential underlying causes. This includes a full physical examination on your dog, and also additional testing to look for parasites. Once the underlying cause has been diagnosed, your veterinarian will prescribe the most appropriate treatment.
Treatment typically involves some combination of the following:
- Clipping the hair around the area to prevent matting.
- Cleaning the affected area with gentle antiseptic solutions
- Prescribing topical or oral antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections.
- Prescribing topical or oral steroids to control inflammation and decrease itching
- Using medicated wipes or solutions to gently clean the area daily.
- Applying an Elizabethan collar (e-collar or “cone”) to prevent continued scratching.
With some of these steps, you can perform them yourself – for example clipping the area or cleaning it. This will help speed up recovery and alleviate your dog’s symptoms.
Luckily, once your vet has prescribed treatment for the hot spot, most hot spots fade fast. In many cases, they can resolve in as little as 3–7 days after the start of treatment.
Another way you can alleviate the discomfort of hot spots is by using a CBD balm, the use of CBD is quickly becoming a popular treatment for dogs. Not only is it 100% natural, but it also works with your dog’s endocannabinoid system to encourage and promote healthy skin – so it can often help to prevent a recurrence.
Hot Spot Prevention
There are some extra ways by which you can improve the health of your furry friend, and they start with simple lifestyle changes.
Though many people don’t take diet and exercise advice seriously, even for themselves, it is important to take such simple advice seriously for your dog. After all, they cannot advocate for themselves.
If you’ve ever used eye drops, you’ll know the importance of using fatty acids to prevent dryness.
In your dog’s diet, try to include more fatty acids like Omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA – these are found in fish oil. Not only do they engender anti-inflammatory properties, but they also help create a healthy skin barrier, making your dog less susceptible to the effects of allergens or infections.
Maintaining good hygiene and routine grooming is essential to stop your dog’s coat from matting and keeping their skin clean. Performing parasite prevention regularly can also prevent the development of hot spots and even other skin infections.
For dogs that swim or bathe frequently, it is important to ensure their coats are thoroughly dry after partaking in these activities.
And finally, if it turns out that your dog is licking due to stress or boredom, increasing their daily activity and playtime can help to alleviate this problem. Dogs like to be mentally and physically stimulated, so using puzzles or even slow feeders is a great way to keep them interested, even if you can’t always be around to play with them.
We hope you’ve learned something new and useful from this article, so your pup can continue to live a happy and healthy life.
Check out these other great articles to give your dog their best life:
7 Pet Safety Tips for the 4th of July
Home Alone: How to Help Your Pooch Deal With Separation Anxiety
5 Signs of Stress in Dogs & How to Recognize Your Dog’s Stress