Tips to Treat Hot Spots in Your Pets

Tips to Treat Hot Spots in Your Pets

Skin problems in dogs are aplenty. A major chunk of the dogs around the world suffer from skin issues, and one of the most common ones is hot spots. This particular type of skin irritation is extremely common in dogs, especially during the hot and sultry summer months.

What are hot spots?

How are they caused?

And, how to treat hot spots in dogs?

All of that and more have been given below. Take a read!

Defining Hot Spots in Dogs In layman terms, hot spots are reddish and (generally) painful spots found on the skin of dogs. Similar to an insect bite, hot spots are worse because they spread rapidly and they develop into a red and painful lesion. They appear spontaneously on a dog’s body, and as soon as you spot one, it is imperative to get rid of them.

Symptoms of Hot Spots in Dogs Skin-related problems generally have similar symptoms. Anyhow, here are the symptoms that could possibly lead to hot spots in dogs.

• • • • • • •

Skin Redness Swollen Skin Hair Fall Excessive Itchiness Constant Scratching Continuous Licking Dull Fur Coat

As soon as you come across these symptoms, rush to a vet because chances are, your buddy might be infected with hot spots or any other skin condition.

Causes of Hot Spots in Dogs Chewing, licking, and scratching often trigger hot spots in dogs. This then can lead to skin inflammations and bacterial infections. In fact, hot spots are caused by the following: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Flea Allergy Dermatitis Anal Sac Disease Food Allergies Skin Infections Ear Infections Atopic Dermatitis Matted or Dirty Coat Stress Excessive Licking Contact Irritants Trapped Moisture Left Behind in the Fur Due to Bathing Parasites

Generally speaking, all these above-mentioned points can cause hot spots in dogs.

Hence, it is necessary to take steps that will prevent such a condition from harming your friendly four-legged pal.

Treating Hot Spots in Dogs If you believe you four-legged friend has hot spots, quickly take him to the vet so that the treatment process can commence easily. A vet will then examine your pal and confirm whether or not it’s hot spots or any other skin issue. If it’s hot spots, the vet will commence treatment immediately. The steps involved in treating hot spots in canines are as follows:

Step 1: Using a pair of clippers, the vet will trim the hair. If the hot spot has already spread, the vet may shave the hair off. Removing the fur helps the moisture to dry quickly, which in turn, will speed up the healing.

Step 2: The vet will then clean the hot spot area with an antiseptic spray. With a piece of cloth (a clean one), he will dab the areas gently so that the solution can spread equally to all parts.

Step 3: He will then apply an antiseptic cream to ensure that the itching stops. This will provide the much-needed relief your pet has been craving for.

Step 4: Your vet might suggest you to make your canine wear a collar so that it will prevent him from biting or licking the areas where he just applied the spray and/or cream.

Step 5: Lastly, the vet will advise you to monitor your dog carefully and see to it that the hot spots have stopped spreading. If it doesn’t spread, then well and good, but if it does, he will tell you to visit him once again for round two.

These steps are pretty easy to follow, and if you wish, it can be performed by you itself. If you are confident enough, then go ahead.

Reference:https://budgetpetworld.wordpress.com/2019/10/11/things-you-need-to-know-about-hot-spots-indogs/