Detect Hot Spots On Dogs: Know How To Treat Them

Hot spots can infect your pets very quickly. Once you left your canine companion in the morning for work, by that time you'll back in the afternoon, your pet's skin has been already inflamed, irritated and oozing.

According to Pet MD, hot spots or also termed as moist eczema or summer sores are skin irritations among dogs that have become infected and inflamed. The affected skin is moist and oozing -- making hot spots very itchy and painful for the dog. Hot spots are more common with dogs with dirty or moist skin and thick coats.

Cesar's Way states other causes of hot spots among dogs. These include itchiness of the skin that may develop from food allergies, dust mites, insect bites, weeds, grasses, trees, fleas and skin wounds. The affected skin might induce bacterial infection and eventually damage the skin. The infection is deep-seated in the skin of the dog -- having such oozing appearance and odor.

If your pet develops hot spots, you will need to treat the wound. Healthy Pets shares the following ways on how to treat the hot spots in dogs:

1.       Cleaning the Infected Area

The hair around the area of the hot spots must be trimmed with animal clippers or shave it if the infected area is big. You may also do this trick: Put marks on the edges of the wound with a Sharpie pen so that you can tell if the wound is escalating.

2. Disinfect the Wound

Gently disinfect the wounds with a solution such as povidone-iodine to remove the bacteria. Apply the solution on the wound using gauze or soft wash cloth. You may repeat the disinfecting procedure as needed to keep the infected area clean and dry at all times.  It is advisable to disinfect the wound two times a day depending on the severity of the infection.

3. Apply a Topical Solution

Once the cleaning is done on the infected area, you may apply a topical solution such as a thin layer of manuka honey, raw aloe or colloidal silver. The manuka honey is a raw honey that is made from a tea tree plant. Do not use aggressive solutions that are painful when applied to the wound.

Repeat the cleaning process and the application of soft topical solution until the wounds become smaller and completely healed.

4. Keep your Dog Away from the Wound

To prevent your dog from scratching or licking the hot spots, put on an Elizabethan collar on your pet's neck. You may also put a shirt on your dog to inhibit her from biting the wound.