Let a Veterinarian Treat Dog Hot Spots

By Randy Kidd and D.V.M.
Published on July 1, 1988
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ILLUSTRATION: ADAM MCCAULEY
In my opinion, hot spots are a disease that needs to be evaluated and treated ASAP by a veterinarian.

Treating dog hot spots is best left to a professional veterinarian.

Let a Veterinarian Treat Dog Hot Spots

If you’ve been around dogs for any length of time, you already know full well what a dog hot spot is. Other names for this common summertime evilness include acute moist dermatitis, moist eczema and pyrotraumatic dermatitis. No matter what you call it, the look is the same: a raw and ugly spot denuded of hair. Typically the site of the itch appears overnight, a pinprick of extreme bother to Pooch. He’ll gnaw and dig at the irritation, if you let him, until that small spot has grown into a painful and unsightly lesion.

Obviously, a dog hot spot is not something you can wait on and watch “to see if it goes away on its own.” Prompt treatment is essential and is generally rapidly effective.

The usual approach is to administer one of the cortisone products, either via injection or topically (or both). Cortisone provides immediate relief, but can also produce a number of undesirable side effects.

Treatment is often most effective when the area is first clipped free of hair and washed clean of debris and other irritants. A whole body bath may be necessary to restore the skin and coat to health . . . and especially to get rid of any fleas, which are the most likely cause of the whole mess. (See MOTHER EARTH NEWS NO.106’s “Pet Concerns” for information on natural flea control.)

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