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What exactly is a Hot Spot?

The simplest definition of a hot spot is a large area of the skin that has retained too much moisture, leading to infection. Commonly, dogs who swim a lot, have long, thick coats and those that reside in moist, humid environments tend to be more susceptible to these skin irritations. In addition, flea and bug bites can bring on the onset of hot spots as well. These spots occur when an area of the skin has retained too much moisture which then allows bacteria to grow. This bacteria changes the environment of the skin and creates inflammation and itchiness. As a result, a dog will seek relief by chewing, biting and licking the area. This action further irritates the area and allows the bacteria to spread making this a vicious cycle. Amazingly, a hot spot can appear in a matter of only twenty to thirty minutes. As stated earlier, flea and bug bites can be culprits of hot spots as well.

Hot Spots – The Symptoms

These spots are very easy to identify. They are large areas of the skin that are red, inflamed, hairless and sometimes oozing or scabbed over. Most commonly these spots are found on the rear legs and neck but can appear on other areas of the body as well. This are will be so irritating that a dog will not be able to stop licking, chewing, biting and scratching at it. This can make the area very painful to touch.

Dog Hot Spot Diagnosis

Generally, all that is needed to diagnose a hot spot is a visual inspection or physical examination.

If several hot spots are present, a visit to your veterinarian may be needed for testing. These include:

Scraping of the Skin: This rules out Mange

Fungal Culture – This test is used to eliminate Ringworm as a cause.

Testing of Blood – This test is performed in order to ensure that seasonal or inhalant allergies are not the cause.

Skin and Blood Test – These are performed in order to rule out an allergic reaction to fleas.

Extensive flea treatment even if no fleas are present.

Dietary Food Tests – This is used to check for food allergies.

Treatment for Canine Hot Spots

The important things to remember when implementing treatment are:

Alleviate Itching

Cure the Infection

Stop the dog from biting or itching the area

Keep the area dry

Initially, the remaining hair on the hot spot and the surrounding hair are clipped. The spot is then cleaned well with an antibacterial soap and dried. Clipping and cleaning can be so painful that a dog may have to be sedated for the procedure. This depends on how bad the hot spot is.

A topical and oral antibiotic are the most common treatments. Each one contains a corticosteroid to stop inflammation and itching. By using these medications, your dog is more comfortable thus ending the itch, chew, infection cycle and speeding the healing process.

If the dog continues to lick the spot, an Elizabethan collar (E-collar or lampshade type collar) can be used for a short period of time. Most dogs are much more comfortable within 24 hours and the hot spot will usually heal in one week.

Methods to Prevent Hot Spots

To prevent hot spots, several things can be done:

Using effective flea control both on your dog and in your environment

Trim the hair of long and thick haired breeds during the summer months

If you can, prevent your dog from swimming

If swimming can not be prevented make sure that you dry your dog thoroughly

Heather Fox is a an experience veterinarian who writes and shares her knowledge with others. She is a featured writer on Clivir.com where she shared more information about Dog Illness Diagnosis and Dog Hot Spots Treatment.

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