How to Identify, Handle, and Avoid Pets’ Hot Spots
Your pet might scratch, lick, and gnaw themselves into a hot spot if their skin is itchy to the point of feeling like fire. Learn more about these terribly uncomfortable sores to help your animal friend get over the itch.
How do pets get hot spots?
Inflamed sores that form on a pet’s skin are referred to as hot spots, acute moist dermatitis, or pyotraumatic dermatitis. These bumps can quickly turn into an oozing, agonizing mass that is excruciatingly painful for your pet. They frequently appear to appear overnight.
How can pets get hot spots?
Most frequently, food, flea, or environmental allergies result in skin irritation that causes hot patches. But anything that makes your pet lick, chew, or scratch an area until the skin is raw can be the culprit.
Hot spots may appear because of:
- Ear infections
- Viruses on the skin
- Matted fur
- Infection of the urinary system
- Anal gland issues
How can pets with hot spots be treated?
To avoid a serious skin infection, treating your pet’s hot spots right away is necessary. Put your pet in an Elizabethan collar (also known as a “e-collar”) as soon as you discover a little patch of inflammation to stop them from causing more skin irritation.
As hot spots can be excruciatingly painful to the touch, we could sedate your pet when they come to our hospital for hot spot treatment along with a potent painkiller. We’ll snip away matted fur after your pet is at ease to make the area more airy. To help the hot spot heal, matted, wet fur must be removed since it acts as a breeding ground for bacteria.
Before applying topical treatments to the clean, dry skin to treat the infection and reduce itching, we will gently clean the area with an antiseptic rinse to remove fur and debris. Depending on the underlying cause of the hot spot, additional therapy may be advised, including allergy medicine, anal gland expression, ear medications, routine grooming, or other treatments.
Do something right away if you see an inflamed or irritated patch of your pet’s skin. Before a slight annoyance develops into a significant, painful hot spot, give our staff a call to make an appointment.