Home Treatments for Dog Hot Spots

Can I treat my dog’s hot spot at home without visiting a vet?

Maybe, depending on its severity. But first, you must be able to spot a hot spot, and identify the underlying cause.

A hot spot is a superficial skin infection that happens when normal skin bacteria overrun the skin’s defenses as a result of damage to its surface. This damage is most often started by a dog chewing, scratching, licking, and gnawing itself. In the first stages of a hot spot’s formation, the skin becomes moist, red, itchy, and infected. Pus begins to ooze from the traumatized skin as infection sets in. Then, the dried pus and damaged skin surface form a tightly adhered crust, and you’ll likely notice hair loss over the infection site. This can be a very painful process, so dogs will usually express discomfort when the area is touched.

Dogs are their own worst enemy when it comes