Dog's hot spots?

QUESTION:

I'm tired of running to the vet every time my dog develops a hot spot. Can't I just take care of it myself?

ANSWER:

So-called "hot spots," a bacterial infection officially called pyrotraumatic dermatitis, or moist eczema, can begin as infected bites or scratches, and grow rapidly. Most vets recommend you let them deal with it, to prevent the infection from spreading further.

But if you've already taken your dog to a vet for hot spots, still have some antibiotic cream left over from the experience, and consider yourself handy with a clipper, there's no reason you can't take care of it yourself.

The key is early detection. As soon as you see a wet, raw-looking lesion, shave the area around the lesion. (See a groomer if you're not feeling all that confident in your own clipping skills.)

Then apply an antibacterial ointment. Continue applying medicine twice a day, or as your vet directed, until it heals. It usually takes no more than a week or two for the sores to shrink, and the hair grows back in another week or so after that.

But if the lesion continues to grow after another day or two, rather than dry up, get your dog to a vet pronto. This time it's unavoidable.

Comments

“I have Pekes and 2 of them have bad hot spots. Ive used this product I got at the pet store and she still itches it raw. What can I do?” — Kathy, Sep 10 2009

“My Golden gets hot spots around her neck every summer from her collar and in the groin area. The best way I avoid this is by clipping and shaving those areas. I try to keep those affected areas dry although she is a water dog. I purchase medicated sprays for hotspots and keep them on-hand when a spot does erupt.Some treatments work better than others. All dogs and skin infections are not the same. I also remove all collars from my dogs when they are in the house. This reduces the chance of hotspot. In addition, try cleaning and disinfecting thier collars. Collars harbor bacteria.” — brosen1954, Dec 07 2008

“My dog got hot spots every summer. I would shave a good distance around the area - at least an inch past the actual lesion - then apply alcohol 2 - 3 times a day followed by hydrocortisone anti-itch spray that I bought from a pet store. It took about a day for the dog to stop licking/biting the area and about 5 days for it to heal. My vet told me about this and it works - I know applying alcohol to an open wound sounds painful, but he assured me it doesn't hurt him and he NEVER whinced when I applied it.” — wendzu, Sep 14 2008

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Dog's hot spots?

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