Why is my dog losing hair on his back? Is it ringworm or a hot spot?

You will need to take your dog to a veterinarian for a skin exam. Your dog could be suffering from an allergy, mites, fleas, a bacterial or fungal infection. each of these requires a different treatment, so it is important to find out what is causing the itch. This does, however look like a bacterial infection, Your vet will do a thorough exam and maybe a a skin scrape. He will then discuss the options with you and then prescribe medications such as antibiotics and possibly an antibiotic/antifungal shampoo.

Poor BoyBoye! This looks like a pretty severe hotspot but of course, without looking at it in person it is difficult to say exactly what it is. Since it is getting worse rapidly, I would strongly recommend to have your vet take a look at it soon. He may need some oral antibiotics or even steroids to help it heal. Your vet will be able to determine exactly what it is and get him started on the proper meds to help him feel better and hopefully prevent it from getting any worse. I hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks more like a hot spot or a bruise. It doesn't really look like a ringworm but it is hard to be sure without examining Penny in person. Please, take all the precautions you would if it was ringworm (use gloves or wash your hand after touching the area) and take Penny to your local vets tomorrow.

Hello there. Thank you for using PetCoach and thank you for including photos. My best guess is that this is ringworm. It does not look like a bite. I suggest you get Molekin' to your vet for an exam and to get a proper diagnosis for two reasons. Number one, ringworm is contagious to people and number two, an adult dog that gets ringworm usually has an underlying problem with their immune system. An adult dog should not get it. This is much more common in puppies. Remember, it is impossible for me to diagnose over the internet with just a photo. I am just giving my best guess. Many skin diseases look similar to the naked eye so that is why testing is important. Here is a link to an article about ringworm: ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/ringworm-in-dogs/ ) If you wanted to try something at home first you can buy over the counter athletes foot cream which is an antifungal and apply that twice daily. It may take 2+ months for it to clear completely up but you should start noticing a difference in a .couple weeks. If you don't have any improvement in 2 weeks or it worsens then you definitely need to get him to the vet. Wash your hands thoroughly after touching this spot just in case it is ringworm, you don't want to get it! ( https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lamisil-Cream-0-42-Oz/10294288 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

i am sorry to hear about your dog! It is very difficult to evaluate the skin by a photograph but it appears there is a defect/wound in the skin here? I would be concerned that this was an abscess that ruptures, a wound that isn't healing and is infected, or we could have something like a cuterebra (a fly larvae that lives in a hole in the skin- look closely and see if you see a tiny creature moving inside the hole!). I would recommend a visit to your vet- the area may need to be flushed/cleaned and have antibiotics prescribed. In the meantime, I would put an e-collar on your dog or a t-shirt if it would be covered by this to prevent your dog from licking/aggravating the skin. You can also clean the area with a mild soap or Hibiclens (available at the drug store) and apply an antibiotic ointment like polysporin to the area until your vet can see him.

It’s uncommon for older dogs to get ringworm, and when they do it’s generally on the face. This area may have started to itch and she got it red and irritated from licking. I would clean the area with a medicated shampoo that kills both bacteria and yeast. Then apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. In addition use a cone if she’s licking the area. If you wash your hands well after touching her you shouldn’t get anything. If it’s not healing or there are other areas then please take her in for an exam and skin tests to determine if it’s ringworm or infection. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dog.

It’s difficult to say what it is from just the picture. Since you aren’t able to take him to the vet, you could try to rotate lamisil cream and neosporin. Put each on twice a day but separate by at least an hour. Also, don’t let him lick that area. You can put a cone collar collar on him to help prevent this. You can also start him on some Benadryl. See link below for dosing. If it still isn’t improving then you will want to try to find a way to see the vet since he may need oral antibiotics or an oral anti-fungal to help him heal. I hope this helps. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/