"Hot spots" are localized bacterial
skin infections usually caused by Staphylococcus
spp. Typically, the skin becomes inflamed and the bacteria that are
normally found on the skin invade and cause an infection. You will notice an area of matted fur or a
lesion that is oozing pus. The skin will
be very red and inflamed. Often the lesion appears very suddenly and progresses
quickly.
There are 3 common causes of the initial
inflammation of the skin:
1) Moist skin- The skin becomes moist due to a
bath, swim, or heat. If the dog has
dense fur, then this area doesn't dry properly and the moist skin becomes
inflamed allowing the bacterial invasion.
2) Fleas- The skin becomes inflamed from either
the flea bites or the dog scratching.
3) Ear infections- Often times a hot spot will develop
under the ear due to either the dog digging at his ear or from the discharge
coming out of the ear.
The main treatment for “hot spots” is to allow
the skin to dry. First, shave the fur
from around the lesion. Once the fur is
removed, then the air can circulated over the skin and dry it out. The next step is to thoroughly clean the
area. Most of the time the dog will also
need oral antibiotics in order to heal the infection.
"Hot spots" can spread very
rapidly. They are extremely painful and
can cause nasty looking lesions. It is
important that you get the "hot spot" treated as soon as you notice
it.
No comments:
Post a Comment