There are at least 160 skin conditions associated with dogs. However, dog hot spots are one of the most popular. Hot spot or an acute moist dermatitis is an acutely inflamed and infected area of a dog’s skin irritation created and made worse by the dog licking and biting at itself. The hot spot has the ability to manifest and spread rapidly in a matter of hours if proper measures are not taken to restrain the dog from licking and scratching itself.
This skin condition is usually very common in breeds with dense, thick and long coats. What happens is that moisture usually gets trapped in the thick fur creating a favorable environment for the growth of bacteria. The bacteria then attack and overwhelm the dog’s immune system leading to a skin infection.
However, please note that dog hot spots do not affect necessarily a specific breed. In addition, there are many causes of this skin condition. The skin condition usually manifest in regions around the rump area, although it sometimes it can occur in other regions of a dog’s body.
How Do You Know Your Dog has Hot Spots?
According to Dr. Rose’s Remedies, some causes of hot spots on dogs are usually associated with allergies in addition to the ones already mentioned. It is not hard to know that your dog is suffering from this skin condition as all the symptoms are visible. Hot spots usually appear on the surface of a dog’s skin and some of the obvious symptoms include the dog constantly licking and scratching itself on the same spot. Then later, due to continuous licking and scratching of the same spot, hair starts to fall out, and you may start to notice some red spots exuding puss.
Home Remedies for Hot Spots
For a dog, hot spots are usually very uncomfortable hence the scratching. In worst case scenarios or failure to address the condition early, ulcerated skin grazes may begin to appear and they may get infected and smelly. Fortunately, there are few home remedies that can be used to treat hot spots.
If you cannot get to the vet, try black or green tea compresses on the spots affected which can be soothing and relieve the itching and pain. Medicated powders have also been found to be very effective when it comes to reducing licking. As far as healing the wounds on your dog’s skin is concerned, you can try and use vitamin E and anti-biotic creams on the wounds. Just make sure that the dog is not licking the ointment straight off as you put it on.
If you are dealing with a mild wound, then the above methods will effectively work to heal the dog hot spots. However, remember you must address the underlying cause of the skin condition that is if you ever want to solve the problem for good.
Lastly, hot spots can be very annoying to the life of your dog but they are easily treatable by simply applying simple home remedies.
Jason Ihaji writes for a variety of business and home improvement blogs.