My dog keeps getting hot spots, hair loss, and lethargy. Why?

Lethargy and frequent urination can be due to a UTI or bladder stones. I would take Goose into the vet for an exam. The vet can do routine blood tests and a urinalysis to confirm if he has a UTI or bladder stones. While there, the vet can take a look at his hot spot. Hot spots can be caused by allergies, insect bites (i.e. fleas, mites), poor grooming, underlying skin or ear infections, and excess grooming due to stress and boredom. It's very important to treat the underlying cause of the hotspot in order to successfully treat the hotspot itself. I would take Goose into the vet today or tomorrow during normal business hours.

Reoccurring skin infections could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Secondary infections from yeast or bacteria are common. 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 may not 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 his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Sonny wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Poor Kato! I'm sorry to hear that he's having this problem. Focal spots of redness, hair loss, itching, and scabs are often called "hot spots" - these are usually caused by a bacterial skin infection, and are often related to an underlying allergy problem. In my experience, oral medications (usually a steroid and antibiotic) are usually needed to get these to clear up - so if your veterinarian hasn't given you anything like this, I would suggest calling or taking Kato back in for a recheck to talk about starting some additional meds. In a dog this age, it's also possible that he may have an underlying hormonal problem like hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease that is contributing to his skin issues, so you may also want to talk to your veterinarian about possibly testing for these problems.

I'm so sorry to hear that Galadriel is having so many problems. Let's talk about skin first. Dogs that are allergic to fleas can also be allergic to other things. The most common are environments allergies or food allergies (even if they have been on the same food for a long time). And dogs that have flea allergies can have problems with even a single flea bite which can occur even when they are on a regular flea prevention. I am attaching more information about skin problems and allergies below. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952662 The most common reason for hot spots is an allergy, so it will be important to figure out what Galadriel is allergic to in order to help prevent future hot spots. Hot spots are initially treated by clipping the fur around the area and cleaning with an antibacterial solution. Depending on the severity of the infection, your veterinarian may elect for you to treat it topically (with antibacterial wipes or spray) or may send home oral antibiotics. Hot spots can be very painful, so sometimes pain medication will also be sent home. One of the most important things in getting hot spots to resolve is making sure they stay dry. If her hot spot is in a location that she can reach, you may need to use an e-collar to prevent licking until the area has healed. The following article has more information on hot spots. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952729 Finally, the most common reason that a female will frequently squat to urinate is that they have a urinary tract infection. I am attaching a handout with more information about that below. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952574 So, I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Galadriel's skin and hot spot to see if she needs antibiotics for her skin and evaluate a urine sample to see if she has any evidence of a urinary tract infection. You will also be able to talk to them about potential allergies and what you can do to treat and prevent them. I know she has a number of problems, but it sounds like everything is a little out of control right now, so she will likely need a medication to decrease the inflammation of her current allergy outbreak and decrease the bumps. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and that she feels better soon. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello, sorry to hear about Sox. It looks like he is developing smaller sized hot spots. What you're doing to treat the local area of irritation is perfect, however these are typically secondary to something that is making him very itchy. Most commonly, dogs may develop severe food allergies, environmental allergies, or even allergies to fleas. All of these can then cause the severe itchiness and subsequent hot spots that you are seeing. You should have Sox evaluated by his veterinarian as he may need allergy medications and oral antibiotics, especially if the spots continue to re-ocur. Hope this helps and best of luck.

It could be allergies, and although allergies occur more frequently when dogs are a little older, some younger dogs can be affected too. Since the lesions are itchy parasites (such as demodex, etc.) and infection ( bacterial, fungal) need to ruled out as well. Since your guy is uncomfortable the best plan is to see you vet to test for the above so that the correct treatment is prescribed. If the lesions resolve and recur work up for allergy will likely be recommended. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

The spot on the cheek looks like a "hot spot". The rest looks like a flea allergy. Mange is not impossible in a dog her age but really unlikely unless she is immunocompromised. The hot spot on the cheek is basically a bacterial skin infection. She probably compromised the skin in that area due to scratching at the ears if she has an ear infection. You really need to get her to a vet to get everything she has going on under control. She needs an anti-inflammatory injection to the get the scratching under control, she needs to have oral antibiotics to clear up the hot spot, if there is an ear infection that needs to be treated and of course, the fleas need to get under control with a GOOD flea medication that she stays on continuously. A flea bath is very temporary and is not going to fix the problem. An ear infection will not clear up with over the counter ear cleaners - she needs an actual medication to clear it up. Please get her to your vet as soon as you can. Some things cannot be fixed with home treatment once they become too advanced. Best wishes.