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Hot spots are a very common skin disorder that
affects dogs of all breeds. Owners notice an area of the skin, which
the pet is aggressively scratching at. The most common parts of the body
to find these lesions on include the head and neck and the tail and
thigh region. This is due to the fact that the dogs can do the most
damage to these areas with their back feet and teeth respectively.
Typically the area will become hot, red, moist and painful. These areas
can erupt in a matter of hours and often times they are mistaken for
bite wounds. If the pet has medium to long fur, the exudate that is
produced by the wound can dry in the fur and make a large scabby area,
hiding the true lesion from site.
Hot spots are actually a superficial bacterial
infection in the skin brought on by the trauma caused by aggressive
scratching. They can be started by almost anything that makes the pet
itchy, such as flea or other insect bites, allergies or topical
irritants. The pets begin to scratch the area in response to the
stimulus and their nails or teeth (sometimes they will bite at the area)
break the surface of the skin and drive the bacteria into the layers of
the skin where they can grow. Typically, these lesions are caused by a
staphylococcus infection. As the staph grows, it elaborates a toxin
that makes the area itch more and a vicious cycle of itch and scratch
begins causing the wound to spread. The body responds by bringing white
cells to the area to fight off the bacteria. This generates a pus-filled
exudates which is often foul smelling.
How do we treat Hot Spots?
Hot spots are usually very painful, and often it is
impossible to rule out another type of lesion, such as a bite wound or
laceration without sedating the dog. Once we have the pet sedated, we
clip the hair and dried exudate from the wound and the surrounding area
to create a “fire break”. This prevents the pus and toxins from making
the wound spread. Next we gently cleanse the wound with antiseptic
soaps. Then we apply medication to help dry out the wound and kill the
bacteria.
Because these wounds are very painful, we generally
administer a pain relieving injection along with a steroid to stop the
itching. The dog is sent home with an Elizabethan collar to prevent
further trauma to the area as well as antibiotics, oral steroids and
topical spray. Owners are often shocked to see how bad the skin looks
under the fur. It will generally look like a “pizza without the
cheese”. Fortunately, the wound will usually dry up and heal within 5-7
days. Fur will return to the area within a few weeks to months
depending on the type of coat.
Pets that have recurring hot spots should be placed
on stringent flea and tick control using Frontline Plus. They may need
to be evaluated for inhalant or food allergies as well. This will help
us control the primary causes of the itching and hopefully prevent
further occurrences.
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