My golden retriever has a hot spot. Does he need a vet or home care?

This looks like an area of moist dermatitis, or hot spot. They get these from licking or rubbing an area of skin that was irritated from an insect bite, allergy or injury. To treat this I recommend trimming the fur around the area, then cleaning off the discharge with warm water and antibacterial soap. Once it’s rinsed and dried you can apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. The most important thing is to prevent her from scratching or rubbing this area so it can heal. Use a cone if needed. If it’s not improving then I recommend a veterinary exam and treatment. They may give medication to prevent the itching, and possible a topical spray or ointment to dry up the skin. Hot spots are common in Goldens so I’d have a cone and medication on hand to treat these at home before they get bad. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Daisy.

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.

The best thing to do for Elmer is to take him to your veterinarian. Here they can shave the hotspot and clean it up. Antibiotics are usually prescribed for a hotspot and sometimes a topical ointment or spray. Until you can bring Elmer to your veterinarian I do recommend an Elizabethan collar to prevent him from licking. Licking a hotspot will make it worse very quickly. I hope Elmer feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I like to trim the hair around the hot spot to open up the skin to the air. Then wash it with antibacterial soap to remove the discharge. After drying it then apply thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. You can also apply some cortisone cream on it to reduce the itch. It's best to use a restraint collar to prevent licking and scratching so it will heal. Make sure there are no fleas or ear infection as these can cause itching resulting in hot spots. If they are severe and you are unable to get them to heal then I would bring Princess to your veterinarian for treatment. They may give an injection to prevent scratching and an oral antibiotic to heal the skin infection. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Princess.

I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian again. When pets do not respond to treatment as normal, it can mean the correction condition has been diagnosed. Those spots on Lexy could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they are unlikely to address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Lexy wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I would recommend putting an ecollar on Simba so he can't scratch this spot and taking him to the vet. This area may need to be shaved and scrubbed to say what is going on and he also most likely needs antibiotics. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for sending the additional information to our customer service email address! Yes, I agree with your suspicion that Kona likely has a hot spot. You can try to manage this area by first clipping the fur from the the affected area, as air flow to the area is important. Antiseptic sprays, like Vetericyn (https://vetericyn.com/product/vetericyn-plus-all-animal-wound-and-skin-care/?attribute_size=3oz), can work wonders when used a few times per day. One of the most important aspects of hot spot treatment is to prevent Kona from licking at this area. It may involve some tough love, but keep an e-collar (cone) on her until this area has fully resolved. Most hot spots show pretty significant improvement within a week or so. However, if it isn't improving in a week or gets worse at any point, Kona will need to visit her vet. While most hot spots can be treated with topical treatments, like the Vetericyn spray, some require courses of antibiotics and steroids. I hope this helps and that she's on the mend soon!