What is a hot spot on a dog?

Question

I'm assuming this is what my dog has because thats what everyone says it is when I explain it to them, he has red spots on his skin that he bites and scratches and licks at that gets bigger and bigger and it seems to make him go crazy... If this is hot spots, what do I do about it?

Answer 1

I would take him to the vet.

One or two hotspots could just be an irritation that he his making worse by licking at it too much. But alot of them could mean some sort of skin condition - allergies, or even ticks or fleas which could be quite serious.

Answer 2

Hot spots are a kind of allergy. It could be to the food he eats or from something in the environment like grass pollen. Lots of dogs get them.

Switch to a hypoallergenic food first. I feed California Natural, made by Natura, which makes the Innova foods. It is formulated for allergic dogs, contains human-grade ingredients that are only sourced within the U.S. It has the fewest ingredients of any commercial dog food, so fewer potential allergens and it has no fillers or junk. Very good food.

Then bathe your dog biweekly to remove potential environmental allergens from his coat. Be sure to control fleas, because dogs can be allergic to flea bites and it can cause hot spots. Use Frontline Plus or Advantage religiously every month.

Doing this program completely got rid of my dog's hot spots and he is off medication. Benadryl can be used for temporary relief but call your vet to get the right dosage for the size of your dog. There are also other meds that he can prescribe for temporary relief, but unless you address the source of the problem, the hot spots will just come back as soon as you stop the meds.

Finally, it's a good idea to have your dog tested for low thyroid (hypothyroidism). Allergies are common in hypo dogs - mine was.

If all else fails, the final thing to do is look for a veterinary dermatologist. They are hard to find, but if you can locate the closest veterinary teaching hospital and call them, they can refer you to someone. My friend did this for her dog when nothing else worked and she got some help that way.

Answer 3

my dog gets them all the time. it has gotten to the point that she would lick so much, she would start going bald in that area. they have this product at pet stores call "hot spot itch relief" and it works! just put it on the area, but try to keep him from licking until it kicks in. I applied it three times a day, and in about three days it was pretty much gone, and she stopped licking. It really does work. Go the the pet store and find products you can use as you would do for over the counter medicine when you are sick, to save yourself the money from seeing Vet if it turns out to be nothing serious.

Answer 4

Primarily Hot Spots refer to flea infested areas which are really bothering your dog. You need to get the dog on a vet recommened flea preventative asap. Such as Frontline or Advantix. If you are not experiences in animal care and skin problems, then you really should take the dog to your vet. If it already has hot spots it may be prone to other flea problems such as flea anemia which is caused by too much blood being drawn from the animal by the infestation.

Answer 5

This is something for the vet.

Hot spots are caused by reactions to something - kind of like hives or poison ivy are to humans.

Some, but not all common causes are
Food
Fleas
Grasses
Chemicals
Genetics

They itch and annoy the dog. But they also burn-itch - so that it hurts when they nibble on the spot. This of course, makes it itch even more - and you get the cycle.

Problem is, these spots can get infected - the smelly, crusty, weepy kind of infection that really is awful. And of course that hurts/itches too. More itch/burn/itch cycle.

Antibiotics are necessary for helping the dog heal from any skin infection (crusty, weepy smelly spot) and anti-inflammatory drugs are needed to stop the itch cycle.

Also, make sure you remember what the dog is eating regularly - as well as where you take him to potty and play - and if you have sprayed your yard with anything lately - or used harsh chemicals (got the rug shampooed etc.) lately.

Answer 6

He has to stop licking or it won't get better. If they the hot spots show up frequently he may have an allergy. Call the vet and see what they recommend.

Answer 7

OMG!
Take him to a vet IMIDIATLLY!"
They will probally shave the spots and put a cone on his head so that he doesent lick it. Then they will probally give you a cream to put on the spots. And theyd probally say to take the cone off when he eats or drinks water. But then put the cone back on. That happened to my dog, thats why I know.

Answer 8

its like ecxema for people