A video and  guide to diagnosing and treating Hot Spots on dogs

In this article we give a free video on Dog Hot Spots and a thorough written description of what they are and how to treat theme - We all know how important our pets our to us, and dogs especially, so it’s good that you know what to look out for in terms of skin irritation for them, and some things that they run into occasionally are areas called dog hot spots, which will be described in detail in the summary below. You can click on this link to read our guide to other Dog Skin Allergies.

A Veterinarian presents a video guide to Dog Hot Spots

A written guide to diagnosing and treating Hot Spots on your Dog

Officially, these hot spots are areas that have become infected, and then the pus from the infection gets caught in the dog’s fur, which makes the problem get worse. Compulsive licking can make the issues spread quite rapidly, so once you see the first signs, you should be sure to do whatever you can to stop them quickly.

As far as what caused the initial irritation, there are several possibilities. It could have been an environmental or physical skin condition, or it could be something like parasites, bacteria, fungi, or potentially a virus. All of these things can cause a dog to itch initially, and from there it can all go down hill quickly, as when a dog wants to itch, it itches!

Another thing that might cause an outbreak is some sort of allergy that you dog might have. Just like humans, dogs react to allergens and they get the same types of hives and red bumps that we do, but they can’t do anything about it, so they scratch to make it feel better. Food can also sometimes cause allergic breakouts.

Another major source of initial skin irritation is any sort of bite by a flea or a tick. You dog can pick these up just about anywhere, including from other animals, wandering around a new hours or apartment, or heading off exploring into the woods or through any type of farmland or extremely natural area.

Excessive hair loss or shedding can be an indication that something else is wrong with your dog, and often occurs when hot spots or symptoms of other ailments are present at around the same time, so it’s always good to stay aware of things like your dog’s general health as well, and know the signs of discomfort.

Treatment for hot spots

Treatment is usually with creams or ointments to treat the skin, antibiotics to fight the infection, and shaving the hair around the spot to allow for the area to breathe and heal, rather than be under a coat of fur.

So if you think your dog has hot spots, check on the internet to see if the symptoms are right, then take it to the vet and find out what the best remedies are so you and you pet can get back to having fun!

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OK that it for this article and video on Dog Hot Spots

Our pets are super important to us, so knowing a little bit about dog skin allergies should be important to you as well, as this can be a major source of discomfort for your best animal friend, even without you being aware of it. It’s our job to make sure our animals are healthy and happy!

So just like humans, dogs get allergies and have allergic reactions to things as well. They experience the same irritation and have the same desire to itch and scratch, and some studies have shown that one in seven dogs actually may have quite severe allergies, in fact.

And you also need to know that not everything that looks like an allergy actually is an allergy. There are other types of skin irritation that have the same look, red rashy patches, that may be caused by other things as varied as hot spots, or things like bacteria, fungi, parasites, or ulcers.

Hot spots in particular are something that all dog owners should be aware of. Indeed, they can start as allergies, but when a dog chews at the spot, the area can quickly become infected, and when the pus gets caught in the dogs fur, it can spread rapidly and be more difficult to contain and recover from.

One other thing that may look like allergies is when fleas or ticks attack your dog. It’s all the same tiny red raised bumps in the beginning, right? And these little bugs can become attached to your dog in a home, outside, from other animals, or from a journey out to a wooded area or park, if that is somewhere that you have been recently.

Allergies may or may not be accompanied by hair loss or excessive shedding as well, either because the dog is scratching at the area, or there is something else wrong with its general health condition. Take a good look at the affected area to determine what you should do about it, or if it is something a vet should know about.

The actual treatment for allergies can be as simple as potentially changing your dog’s diet, to maybe just having to give it a quick shampoo, to potentially shaving off the fur of the affected area and putting a cream or ointment on it, with or with out the addition of antibiotics.

So make sure that you are aware of what dog skin allergies are and what treatments are available for them once you recognize the causes. For any other information, do a quick search on the internet or call your local vet, who will provide you with any other data you need.

Here is a great Video and a guide to Dog Skin Allergies

Veterinary statisticians say that 14% of canines suffer from dog skin allergies – Allergic Dermatitis. A primary reason dogs are taken to a veterinarian is allergies. Some dog breeds are more allergy prone, but all breeds can be affected. Signs may include white flaky dandruff, patches of lost hair, patches raw from scratching, seeing your dog scratching or chewing on a particular spot or spots, loss of fur, breaking out in hives, etc. You can click on this link to see our entire category of articles on Dog illnesses and conditions.

First, check out this video on Dog Skin Allergies

Here is a brief review of Dog Allergies

The video above really does a better job then this, this is more of a review.

Most modern products are created with noxious chemicals that dogs are exposed to. This high incidence of allergies is therefore unsurprising. Harmful chemicals you didn’t know products contained can create misery for the dog you love.

An unpleasant reaction to something in the environment is an allergy. The allergen is what causes the unpleasant reaction. The allergic reaction is the effect caused by the allergen.

In humans, the most common allergic response is upper respatory symptoms. For dogs, allergies usually affect the skin.

Canine allergies have four main causes. Those causes are fleas and biting insects, inhalation of allergens, foods and drugs, and irritants that touch the skin.

If you see your dog scratching and chewing on its skin all the time, it may be suffering from an allergy. It chews and scratches to alleviate the irritation, and may attempt these reliefs so frequently that it develops bald spots.

The simplest solution is removal of the allergen. If it is a food, for example, simply feed your dog something else. Insects can be more troublesome, but there are treatments such as sprays or creams. Irritants in the environment that cannot be removed are the most difficult to treat.

The most frequent allergy dogs experience is fleas. Some dogs are allergic to toxins in flea saliva. Fleas prefer to live on buttock and tail region of the dog, on the base of the legs, or the groin and belly. Allergic reactions focused in these areas are often fleas. Dogs will sometimes chew skin irritated by fleas until it becomes an open sore. Sometimes these sores become infected.

To determine if your dog is a host for fleas, have it stand on white paper, brush its coat repeatedly, and see if small dark and light particles fall from its coat. If they do, they are probably flea eggs and flee feces, and your dog probably has fleas.

An allergic reaction to fleas can also be confirmed via a test. Veterinarians can do this.

The best solution for a flea allergy is to get rid of fleas. A medicated bath and topical skin ointments are the best methods for eliminating fleas.

Many dogs also break out in hives, which are small bubbly protrusions on the skin. As dogs are hairy, hives are especially problematic on them. Hives often appear after a dog is treated with a chemical it is allergic to, especially when it is washed with shampoo or treated with an anti-flea compound. If this happens to your dog, rinse it repeatedly to get rid of the irritants causing the hives.

A veterinarian is obviously the best person to treat dog skin allergies. If your beloved pet is living in anguish because of skin allergies, make an appointment with your vet

You can click on this link to go to our main web page for more Dog Skin Allergy Articles