Unfortunately, a hot spot won't go away on its own, especially since dogs have a hard time leaving their irritated skin alone. A hot spot is easier to prevent than to treat, so try to keep your dog free of hot spots by grooming them regularly and keeping them up to date on flea and tick medication.
Fortunately, once your veterinarian has initiated treatment for the hot spot, most dogs improve rapidly. In many cases, the hot spot resolves in as little as 3 to 7 days after the start of treatment.
Regular grooming enables swift intervention if a hot spot is developing; often they will simply get worse and worse until treated so veterinary help is advisable. A hot spot that is left untreated may turn into a lick granuloma, which can be difficult to get rid of.
Hot spots are not likely to go away on their own, but the good news is that they can be easily treated. The best thing to do when you notice hot spots is book an appointment with your vet and try to stop your dog scratching too much.
Depending on the severity of the infection, oral antibiotics may also be administered. Some home remedies - such as compresses and over-the-counter products - may also be used to treat hot spots, but consult with your veterinarian first.
Place a recovery cone on your dog to help keep them from biting, licking, or scratching the hot spot. Monitor the area for improvement and signs of healing (decreased redness, less moisture, smaller lesion size).
Due to bacteria that builds up in the hot spots, they can quickly spread to other parts of the dog's body. These affected areas will be painful and result in your dog itching and licking the area. Many of these symptoms overlap with other skin conditions so it's important you contact your veterinarian right away.
Treatment. Treatment for a hot spot is likely to include: A clip and clean – clipping the fur around your dog's hot spot will allow air to reach it and speed up recovery. Cleaning at home - daily cleaning with salty water or a medicated shampoo (see wound cleaning instructions below).
The lesion should be disinfected with a chlorhexidine solution that kills bacteria. Topical antibiotics, desiccating sprays, and soothing reagents will be more effective when applied to a clipped, clean skin surface. Oral antibiotics and steroids/antihistamines may also be in order for serious hot spots.
Bathe your pup all over with a special shampoo, such as chlorhexidine, to prevent new hotspots from developing. A shampoo made for treating hot spots should be gentle on the skin. You may also use an antiseptic or astringent. However, these products are more likely to burn when you apply them.
Dog hot spot healing time usually lasts anywhere from a few days up to a couple of weeks. Continue to clean and check the affected area daily. If the area worsens or does not show improvement in a couple of days, or in extreme cases, you should contact your veterinarian for further treatment, such as antibiotics.
If your dog develops a hot spot, don't panic. While the wound may look serious, hot spots are commonly treated and will clear up within a week or so with some basic care. Remember to prevent future hot spots by getting to the bottom of the cause of your dog's need to scratch.
If your pet keeps having difficulties with hot spots, take them to a professional and have their spine and the surrounding muscles examined. A sore spine can be the root cause of all the problems.
The first stage of a hot spot causes the skin to be red, moist and itchy. As the infection sets in, you may see pus oozing from the area. As it continues to get worse, you may see dried pus and a damaged skin surface.
It does drain your battery; whether it's worth it for you to turn it off is up to you and how long your battery last. Also something worth noting is that by leaving it on and walking around other people can see your hotspot and might try to connect. Even if they're unsuccessful it will drain your battery even faster.
Hot spots often appear suddenly (perhaps even overnight) as large sores that are itchy, painful, discolored and moist. They may appear reddish to greenish and shiny or weeping with ooze.
For more severe hot spots, it may take about one week for the skin lesion to dry up and look more like a scab. Then it may be about two weeks before you would begin to see hair regrowth. By three to four weeks out, the majority of hot spots have fully healed.
McKenna says it's not just what you treat dog hot spots with but how. "The most important thing is keeping the area clean and dry," she says. "As tempting as it is to cover up these ugly lesions, refrain from placing bandages or other coverings, which will just trap in the moisture and delay healing."
You also need to prevent the dog from licking or scratching the wound. You can use betadine diluted as per instructions on the bottle or salt water (1 teaspoon in 1litre of water) to clean these wounds but be gentle as they are painful.
Hot spots are a common issue caused by an overpopulation of your dogs' natural bacteria that grow on their skin. When an infection arises from a dog's bacteria, it is almost always a root cause of hot spots. Luckily, something like this is easy to treat with betadine.
Apple cider vinegar for dogs may help prevent itchy skin while soothing skin irritation and rashes. Since it's acidic, it may also prevent yeast infections on the skin and ears. In addition, the acidic compounds in apple cider vinegar can eliminate dandruff and treat some mild skin conditions like hot spots.
Topical antibiotics, desiccating sprays, and soothing reagents will be more effective when applied to a clipped, clean skin surface. Oral antibiotics and steroids/antihistamines may also be in order for serious hot spots.
1-2 Hours In: Know When to Call a Vet
If the hot spot looks in any way infected (i.e. you see pus, there's significant bleeding, the site is very red and tender), go ahead and call for an appointment. An infected hot spot isn't likely to get better without a prescription medication.
These sores or lesions can form and spread rapidly, but most hotspots are caused by bacteria and are not infectious. However, hotspots caused by scabies, parasites, or fungal infection can spread to other pets and humans.