My dog's hot spot is bleeding. Can I still use the prescribed cream?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Goodness poor Ryder! That looks to be a very large hot spot. It would be best to have him seen today. If you can’t the entire area needs to be shaved down. Some dogs need to be sedated because it’s so painful. Once the hair is removed cleaning is easier and the area dries out. I prescribe oral antibiotics, steroids or apoquel, and a topical spray. The hot spot tends to heal with in 5 days. So if you can shave it great then clean it with a mild soap and water. Dry well. Trying to clean it with the fur still there will just trap moisture. Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From the picture you provided it does look as though there is quite a bit of redness / irritation. I would recommend using Sentry wound ointment, which you can find at PetCo or online. You can apply this twice daily to the area. If there is no improvement after 48-72 hours, I would recommend having this examined by your veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It is good that you have Harry wearing an e-collar to prevent further damage. It looks like he may have a hot spot. They can come up very quickly. To try at-home treatment, the first step is to clip the hair away from the skin so it will dry out, is easier to clean, and so you can monitor the progression. You need to use electric clippers, not scissors or a razor, to safely remove the hair. Second is to gently cleanse and disinfect the area. You can use a chlorhexidine wound scrub to gently scrub the wound, rinse thoroughly with water. It is important to keep this out of Harry's eyes as it is unsafe. Third is the treat the skin. You can use an ointment like neosporin or a medicated wipe like Dechra MalAcetic HC Wipes which is anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory. If you do this at-home treatment for 48 hours and the skin appears worse, Harry seems painful, or there is excessive discharge, I recommend that Harry see a vet immediately. Other possible causes for his skin issue that are not a hot spot include fleas, mange, lice, infections (bacterial or yeast), ringworm, allergies, among others. Here is a good article about hot spots, including information on when at-home treatment can be tried: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2714

A definite NO on the hydrogen peroxide! 1. It is best to shave the hair around the affected area if at all possible. If you don't have clippers you can use scissors to shorten the hair - just be careful you don't cut him. If you can't shave or trim the hair don't stress too much about it. 2. You can clean and treat all in one step with these medicated pads. Twice a day. ( https://www.chewy.com/pet-md-chlorhexidine-antiseptic-dog/dp/146635 ) 3. If he is really itching you can also apply this topical hydrocortisone spray after the wound is dry from the using the pads. Once a day should be enough. ( https://www.chewy.com/zymox-enzymatic-topical-spray/dp/125742 ) If no improvement after about 5-7 days then you should have your vet check him out. Sometimes oral antibiotics are needed to clear these up if they are bad enough. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I wouldn't put steroid cream on it, because this could make it much worse. Hot spots usually have an infection present, which will flourish in the presence of steroids. It appears to be minor based on your description, so you can try a couple of things at home to help this. 1) Wash the area with warm water and a medicated shampoo (can get this at the pet store) once a day. Use a cloth and gently wipe away the scabs. Do not scrub, because it will irritate the skin more. It's OK if all of the scabs do not come off in each washing. 2) Make sure the area is completely dry after washing. You should start seeing good results within a week after starting this. It may take a few weeks before it's completely cleared. If two weeks go by and it's not getting any better, then it's best to have a veterinarian exam it. Also, if it appears to get worse, then it's best to take her the vet for treatment. I hope that helps and this gets cleared up soon.

If the hot spot is small you can try putting some triple antibiotic ointment on it. You will want to try and prevent your dog from licking the area as much as possible, like with an E-collar, to allow it to heal. If the area is very large and inflamed your dog may benefit from oral antibiotics to help it heal more quickly. If treatment at home doesn’t work then you will probably need to have her examined by a vet. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

It looks like what we call a hot spot or moist dermatitis. These looks really painful. I would have him seen. He will most likely need some antibiotics and some topical medication to help dry this up. They can also give you something for the itching or pain relief. These usually heal pretty quickly once they stop messing with them.