Dog hot spots are a nasty skin problem and what starts out as a skin irritation often ends up as an unsightly soar which tends to spread and your poor dog is not only suffering, but looks like he’s down with some sort of contagious disease.
What exactly is a hot spot and how can you identify it?
A hot spot is a superficial inflammation and bacterial infection of the top layer of a dog’s skin.
Most common symptoms are:
· Licking, biting and chewing a spot on the skin endlessly.
· The spot suddenly increases in a matter of hours, sometimes with pus inside.
· The sore may sometimes begin to ooze.
· The hot spot loses hair.
· The sore smells funny.
It starts off as a red itchy spot.To relieve the itching the dog chews, bites or scratches the offending area which of course worsens the condition.The red spot soon turns into a sore, becomes infected and results in an open wound.This becomes so painful to the dog that your usually fun and frolicking furry friend turns into a growly and unhappy pet.
The three main causes of dog hot spots are:
1. Long and furry coats:
Certain breeds such as Shih-Tzu’s and Pmeranians are more susceptible to hot spots, this is because their long and furry coats are more susceptibel to get tangled and matted hair. Dogs with long coats are also more prone to having trapped dead hair and, especially the smaller dogs since they are low to the ground, they “mop up†debris from the floor or ground. All this leads to irritation of the skin which in vet language is termed pyotraumatic dermatitis, but in your language and mine, it is commonly referred to as hot spots.
2. Allergies & environment:
The environment that your dog lives in has a lot to do with allergies. First look at the immediate your home. What do you clean your floors with? If you are using chemically laced household cleaning products to keep your floors clean and regularly have your carpets cleaned commercially, there is harmful chemical residue left on the floor. Your dog lies on these chemicals which eventually begin to bother his skin. Other environmentally caused allergies might be plan pollen at certain times of the year (think of spring fever in humans).
3.Dog habits:
Other dogs are just plain hyper and will end up biting, licking and gnawing at themselves if left alone. This can also cause hot spots to appear.
What can be done to relieve our precious from this misery?
Steps:
1. Trim the fur from the area around the hot spot with scissors. If the area is large at all, you should shave it instead. Causing the hot spot to be exposed to the air will help dry out the moisture and speed up healing.
2. Clean the affected area with a gentle skin cleanser for dogs and rinse thoroughly with cool water.Adding a drop or two of tea tree oil to the water helps to disinfect the area.
3. Apply a cold compress to the area a few times a day. It is best to use a cool wet washcloth.
4. A number of natural products have also proven to be very effective against dog hot spots. Among these are witch hazel, apple cider vinegar. Apply a good natural topical ointment such as K9 KlearUp which has the natural healing ingredient, Tepezcohuite.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure:
1. Brush your pet daily, especially if he has a long coat that tends to get tangles.
2. If your dog likes to swim, make sure that the coat dries well, this is particularly important with dogs that have a second undercoat such as a Chesapeake or a Newfoundland.
3. Use natural, chemical free household cleaning products to do your floors.
4. Contract a carpet cleaner that uses natural, environmental ingredients in the cleaning process
5. Keep your home well vacuumed and free of mites and other critters that can make a pet’s and your own life miserable.
Most importantly, be on the lookout for early symptoms.Treated early and swiftly your best friend will continue to be his true and happy self.
