What Causes Hot Spots on Dogs & What is the Treatment
If you have a dog and happen to notice that they are licking and itching themselves much more than normal, this may be due to them having hot spots. Hot spots, also referred to as acute moist dermatitis or even pyotraumatic dermatitis, are actually considered to be one of the most frustrating skin conditions for your dog to get. Hot spots are painful and itchy but can even become much more severe if they are left alone and not treated correctly.
What makes them even worse, are able to be triggered by a number of different things, meaning that it can be very tough to identify the original reason for your dog having them in the first place. Some causes of hot spots include an insect bite, some type of flea allergy, boredom, or even emotional distress.
Here are some of the best way so help eliminate and prevent your dog from getting hot spots. But before you can effectively get rid of your dog’s hot spots, you must first understand what a hot spot really is.
What is a Hot Spot?
A hot spot is going to basically be a certain response by your dog’s immune system that will cause certain parts of their skin to start overproducing their skin’s natural bacteria. They will usually just appear all of a sudden, showing up as irritated, red skin, sometimes even causing oozy skin lesions. And what makes them even worse, is that there is no limit to where they can potentially pop up. They can crop up anywhere on your dog.
When your dog does have hot spots, they will be extremely uncomfortable for them, and to make matters even worse, your dog will more than likely want to lick and chew on the infected spot excessively. When this does happen, it can actually be a cause for even more inflammation, the potential opening of the skin wounds which will open it up to bacteria, and even making the lesion worse, as well as greatly increasing your dog’s level of discomfort.
Infectious hot spots are able to occur in just a few minutes or several hours, and when they are left alone and not correctly treated, they will more than likely began to spread all over your dog very quickly. This means that as soon as you are made aware of any hot spots on your dog, you are going to want to get them treated as quickly as possible. So, if you either physically see one of these hot spots on your dog, or you notice that they are scratching and itching much more than they normally do, there is a good chance that they may have hot spots.
Why does Your Dog get Hot Spots?
The main cause of hot spots on your dog is going to be insect bites. Insects such as ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas are all potential causes for your dog’s hot spots.
When you have a poor grooming routine for your dog, it can leave them more susceptible and fur that has been matted or is damp is also a potential trigger for contracting hot spots. Besides those potential causes of hot spots, seasonal and food allergies, to other things such as pollen and mold are also able to cause hot spots in your dog.
What Dogs are More at Risk for Hot Spots?
While hot spots can affect any breed of dog, they are going to be the most common within male dogs who are fully grown and have a heavier, thicker fur coat. Some examples of these are German Shepherds, Labradors, and Collies. These particular breeds of dogs are going to be much more susceptible to developing this very uncomfortable skin condition.
Treating Hot Spots
Whatever the cause of your dog’s hot spots may be, the good news for them is that they are treatable. Here are the following steps that you should take to help treat your dog if they have hot spots.
- Clean the entire infected area
It is highly recommended that you either remove any of their fur from around the hot spot area, or even shave the entire area prior to disinfecting their skin with the diluted povidone-iodine antiseptic. Other types of antiseptics are also safe to use too. You are going to need to clean the wound a minimum of two times per day in the earlier stages of treating your dog. Just keep in mind that your dog is more than likely going to be in a lot of pain, so you may want to consider giving them some type of pain reliever to help keep them calm.
- Prevent them from scratching
After you have disinfected the wound, you are going to need to prevent them from scratching around the infected area. Some of the easiest ways to do this are to cover the wound, get your dog an e-collar, or even giving them some anti-inflammatory medicine that will aid in relieving some of the itchiness.
- Go to the vet
If you are treating your dog’s hot spots and have noticed that they are continuing to grow larger or just are not getting any better after several days of treating them at home, it is time to take your dog to the veg. Your dog may need antibiotics and in some of the more severe cases, your dog may even require additional diagnostic tests or further treatments to treat the hot spots.
After you have cleaned your dog’s hot spots, the next thing you are going to want to do is to make sure that they don’t come back again. As mentioned earlier, these hot spots can be caused by a number of different things, some of which include insect bites, flea allergies, or emotional distress. With that being said, you are going to need to do everything you can to make sure that these do not happen to your dog. Just be sure to eliminate one possibility at a time and you should be able to keep your dog hot spot free.
