Hot Spots?

[Winterpaws]

Can anyone tell me what causes hot spots on dog and how to prevent them. We noticed a sore on Charlie last night and thought maybe he and Henry had played a little rough.

But I've just come home and he now has another patch on the other side of him where he has been gnawing and it looks all festy and sore. The skin is bright red.

Is there a better food to give them? In all the time we have had him we have never had issues with his skin but lately he has been licking a lot. Nothing has changed in their diet - chicken mince and veg etc.

Thanks

[Nekhbet]

give him a good bath in Malaseb and dry him very very thoroughly, I mean so there is no moisture left. If you want add some omega oils to the diet and see if that improves it

[Jacquiboss&scoop]

after the malasab bath try a little dab of betadine or powder with curash baby powder , hot spots can be caused by reaction to flea and insect bites as well so a good going over to see if they have picked up any nasties might help , they tend to be an immune response to something , elimination exposure and diets can help to find the cause . if they continue or get worse an injection and AB treatment from the vet will clear it up in the short term but you need to identify the cause if you can

[Crisovar]

Hot spots usually start due to the dog scratching at one spot on their skin causing localised irritation, itching from fleas, tick bites, allergies, etc can start them off, dogs with double coats often get them if the coat has not dried completely after bathing, swimming etc.

They can quickly spread to cover a large area, so need to be treated ASAP, I find Curash powder applied liberally as soon as they appear nips them in the bud.

You need to find out the cause to stop them recurring though.