What is a hot spot?
Almost every dog owner knows that their four-legged friend scratches themselves from time to time. This is completely normal and usually nothing to worry about. However, if your dog just won't stop scratching and you notice inflamed patches of skin you should quickly seek veterinary advice .
A hot spot, also known in veterinary medicine as pyotraumatic dermatitis or acute moist dermatitis, is an inflammation of the skin surface. The inflammation is caused by the dog itself through licking, scratching, and biting and your four-legged friend is trying with these behaviors to fight an underlying →itchiness .
So hot spots are not a disease in themselves, but a symptom of various causes. "Hot spot" literally means "hot spot," which describes the changes quite well: The affected skin areas are usually round and hot.
What symptoms occur with a hot spot?
The following symptoms typically occur with hot spots:
rapid development within hours
severe itchiness, leading to scratching, licking, and biting
well-defined, round, hot
often moist with purulent discharge
bald patches and skin wounds
crusting
eczema formation
Where does a hot spot in dogs come from?
There are various underlying causes for the development of hot spots. Especially dogs with long, dense fur such as Golden Retrievers, Saint Bernards, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Newfoundlands, or Old English Sheepdogs are particularly often affected.
The most common cause of hot spots is a flea saliva allergy. Affected dogs react with severe symptoms even to minor →flea infestations.
Other causes can be:
allergic reactions to other parasites (mites, lice, →ticks)
food allergies
foreign bodies in the coat
irritating substances in the coat
lack of coat care or matted fur
psychological disorders
minor skin injuries
ear infections
diet-related fatty acid deficiency
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How is a diagnosis made?
If you notice one or more of these symptoms in your four-legged friend, you should seek veterinary advice. The diagnosis is in most cases quite simple due to the typical appearance to make. With a sterile skin swab the cells and bacteria involved can be identified under the microscope. Very often, so-called Staphylococci can be detected. These are part of the normal skin flora, but with a hot spot, there is an increased colonization.
In addition to diagnosing a hot spot, it is always important to find out the cause of the skin changes. For this, your veterinarian will carry out further examinations.
How are hot spots in dogs treated?
It is important to clip the fur generously around the hot spots generously. You can probably imagine that, depending on the extent of the inflammation, this can be quite painful. Some dogs therefore need a mild sedation to make clipping painless and safe.
After clipping, the skin changes are cleaned with a disinfectant solution such as chlorhexidine cleaned. The cleaning and disinfection of the hot spots must then also be continued by you at home. Your veterinarian will show you how this works and explain how often you need to treat the skin areas.
An administration of antibiotics is in most cases not necessary. Only if the hot spots are very pronounced and go into deeper layers of the skin is treatment with antibiotics advisable. To combat the pain and itching, the use of cortisone is often recommended. Depending on the severity, your veterinarian will either inject the cortisone, give you tablets, or provide a local cream or spray to take home.
Of course, the underlying problem must also be treated. For example, in the case of a flea infestation, therapy against fleas should be carried out. Little tip: To successfully administer the flea tablet, you can hide it in our tasty →liver pâté.
What is the prognosis and what can I do for prevention?
The success of therapy is significantly influenced by your treatment at home. Follow your veterinarian's instructions and remember that hygiene is especially important.
Most of the time, hot spots heal within a few weeks and the prognosis is good. Depending on the underlying disease, hot spots can unfortunately recur. Here it is important to know and treat the underlying problem.
Since a flea saliva allergy is the most common cause of hot spots, adequate flea prevention is essential for successful prevention. You should also →brush the coat regularly and remove matted fur, especially in long-haired dogs.
Keep a close eye on your four-legged friend and if you notice the scratching increases again: off to the vet!
