How to Treat Hot Spots in Pets
When their skin feels on fire from itching, your pet may scratch, lick, and chew so much that they create a hot spot. Help your furry pal beat the itch by learning more about these incredibly uncomfortable sores.
What causes hot spots in animals?
Acute moist dermatitis, also known as hot spots or pyotraumatic dermatitis, is a skin condition that causes inflamed sores to appear on a pet’s skin. These blotches frequently appear overnight and can develop swiftly into an excruciating disaster for your pet.
Why do pets develop hot spots?
Hot spots are typically brought on by skin irritation brought on by flea, food, or environmental allergies. Anything, though, that prompts your pet to lick, chew, or scratch an area until the skin is exposed can be the problem.
Hot spots could be caused by:
- Ear infections
- Skin infections
- Matted fur
- Urinary tract infections
- Anal gland issues
How are hot spots in pets treated?
To avoid a severe skin infection, treating your pet’s hot spots as soon as possible is essential. Put your pet on an Elizabethan collar (also known as an e-collar) as soon as you discover a small patch of inflammation so they can’t irritate the skin any more.
As hot spots can be excruciatingly painful to the touch, we may give your pet anesthesia along with a potent analgesic when they come to our hospital for hot spot therapy. Once your pet is at ease, we will remove matted fur to provide room for air. To enable the hot spot to heal, the wet, matted fur must be removed since it acts as a breeding ground for infection.
We will gently clean the area with an antiseptic rinse to flush away fur and debris, and then apply topical medications to the clean and dry skin to soothe the itch and treat the infection. Further treatment will depend on the hot spot’s underlying cause, and we may recommend allergy treatment, anal gland expression, ear medication, regular grooming, or other therapies.
If you notice an irritated, inflamed area on your pet’s skin, don’t wait. Give our team a call to schedule an appointment before a minor irritation flares into a large, painful hot spot.