Dog Hot Spots Gone Wild

With the many responsibilities a pet owner has, it can be overwhelming sometimes. They have to make sure their pet eats a healthy meal and gets the correct amount of exercise. They also have to keep an eye on their dog if they have a medical condition. They especially have to look out for dog hot spots.

Dog hot spots can also be called acute moist dermatitis or acral lick dermatitis. This is a painful condition that can sometimes be prevented. Other times, it takes a deeper look at the dog’s health to determine a cause. It happens commonly in dogs but when it does happen, it has to be treated fairly quickly.

Dog hot spots are often seen as hot, swollen patches of skin. They leak pus, are often very red and have a horrible smell. Sometimes they are only in one area and sometimes they are on multiple areas of the dog’s body. They appear often under the ear or on the dog’s lower body but can appear anywhere.

This is a painful condition for a dog to experience. Dog hot spots often cause a dog to chew, scratch or bite the area constantly to get relief. With the constant irritation, these spots can spread very quickly, sometimes in hours. Pet owners normally notice something is wrong when they see bald patches on the dog.

When a pet owner sees their dog has this condition, they should take them in for treatment immediately. Vets know that dog hot spots are very painful and normally administer anesthesia before treatment. For treatment, the vet begins with cutting away the hair in the area and washing it down with a diluted povidon-iodine shampoo or a chlorhexidine shampoo. Once the skin is dry, they put a dose of antibiotic steroid cream on the infected area. The process has to be repeated on all locations of the hot spots. When they are finished, vets are concerned about the dog’s further irritating the site so they often put their patients in a BiteNot collar.

After the visit to the vet, pet owners find themselves continuing the treatment for dog hot spots. They have to continue to apply an antibiotic steroid cream or powder for 10-14 days as well as give their beloved pet an antibiotic pill. There is also the possibility of having to give their dog a corticosteroid to help control the itching.

When a pet owner is faced with dog hot spots, they should know there are two different types. Some hot spots are superficial and others are deep hot spots. The difference isn’t immediately obvious to a dog owner and needs to be diagnosed by a vet. Both types of hot spots are treatable but it is important that a vet makes the determination as to which type it is.

The exact cause of dog hot spots can’t be determined. There are some cases that result from a skin trauma, noticed by an itch scratch itch cycle. There are other cases that come from dead, moist hair lying against the skin. There are other cases that have been brought on because of a sever deficiency in an essential fatty acid. No matter what the cause is, it is important that when a pet owner sees their animal is suffering from this, they take their pet in for treatment.