There goes Scruffy again. It seems every time you bring him to the park, he makes a beeline straight for the small creek that borders the dog “playground”. He dives into the cool water, and once satisfied, returns to you for a little Frisbee or ball chasing. But every so often, he races back to the creek for another cool down. Since you won’t have time to bathe him this week, he’ll have to wait until the weekend to get all that creek water out of his fur and off his skin. But by the weekend, a noticeable sized sore has appeared on Scruffy’s back. Scruffy is constantly gnawing at it, making the sore worse. Scruffy now has his first hot spot.

What are hot spots? Hot spots are usually circular shaped scab-like areas on the skin. Because of your dog’s constant gnawing at the sore, there is often no fur in the area around the sore. Also, the sore produces a pussy substance, and can possibly show swelling. The most common places for your pet to have hot spots are the legs, back, rump, and hinds. However, hot spots may also occur on the ears, neck, and chest. If hot spots are neglected, you dog’s constant scratching and gnawing can cause hot spots to spread to other areas.

What causes hot spots? Hot spots are more frequent during the hot, summertime. However, they can appear on your dog year round. Hot spots form when a large amount of bacteria gather and aggravate your dog’s skin. The skin becomes irritated by things such as ungroomed fur, long periods of damp fur and skin, allergies, or fleas/mites.

How can you prevent hot spots? There are a few very basic suggestions you can follow to help prevent hot spots. First, give your dog baths frequently and leave the shampoo on your dogs skin for at least five minutes. Allowing the shampoo to stay on the fur and skin will allow it to moisturize the skin and really clean and remove dirt and anything else on your dog’s fur and skin. The use of other supplemental dog care products, such as fish-oils, omega fatty acids, flea removal, and antihistamines, can help in improving your dog’s skin and fur. Second, keep your dog well groomed. Try to prevent your dog’s fur from becoming tangled or matted, and keep any tagalongs or other objects picked up while outside out of your pet’s fur. Third, keep the hot spot dry and clean. Trim the hair surrounding the hot spot, and avoid moistness on the wound. Finally, try to prevent your dog from gnawing or further aggravating the hot spot. Not only will this increase the chance of spreading hot spots, but also prevent the hot spot from healing.

If your Scruffy constantly has hot spots, and nothing seems to be helping, a visit to your veterinarian may be in order.