Hot spots are usually occur in dogs with long hair or those with dense undercoats, such as the GSD. It is often caused by a local allergic reaction to Insect bites, especially from fleas, food allergies, mite infestations, ear infections; poor grooming, burrs, anal gland disease, and can even be caused by laying in dirt with a wet coat!!! (such a joy to run into here in Florida when baby pools are great for cooling our fur brats off!)
Hot spots are circular lesions found on the head, over the hip and along the side of the chest and are seen as being moist, raw, inflamed and hairless not to mention painful! Most animals will lick, bite or scratch the area which in turn irritates the inflamed skin even more!
Hot Spots can change dramatically in size in a very brief period of time. What was the size of a quarter may easily be eight inches in diameter in six hours thus showing the importance of QUICK medical action!
Treatment
To successfully treat hot spots, you must first treat appropriating with immediate removal of the problem which caused the hot spot! If you do not get rid of the problem, you will be VERY busy and probably be left standing much the poorer from meds and vet care!
The first step in treating hot spots is carefully clipping the hair over and surrounding the lesion. NOTE: remember that this is very painfull in most cases, you might wish to have a partner to help hold the dog still and if there is danger of being bitten, take the time to secure the dog to prevent biting! (who needs an emergency bill on top of this wonderful experience???) Clipping the hair allows air to get into the inflamed hot spot and makes it easier to treat. The surface of the lesion is then cleaned with a non-irritating solution. To help the lesion heal desiccating powders are often then applied. If the dog is very sensitive this may need to be done under sedation. In more severe cases the animal may be placed on oral antibiotics (done so with care!) and given painkillers and anti-inflammatories such as buffered aspirin.
If you dog is prone to picking at the hot spot and causing more problems, Elizabethan collars are great and inexpensive. You can also, although less effective with determined dogs, clip nails and put socks/dog boots on their feet.
Prevention
Many dogs that have repeated problems with hot spots can have the incidence greatly reduced by keeping their hair groomed daily and towel dried when wet, giving them frequent medicated baths if they are prone to hot spots, keeping ears mite free/squeaky clean and following a strict flea control program. In some dogs/breeds expressing the anal glands as needed may also be beneficial in keeping the occurance of hot spots to a minimum.
