My dog keeps getting hot spots. What's the underlying cause?

Continued hotspots are generally a sign of an underlying allergy. This allergy could be related to flea bites, a food allergy or an environmental allergy. Hypothyroidism is uncommon in a young dog but is possible as well and will result in hotspots. Until you determine the underlying cause, it will be impossible to stop the hotspots. You can rule out flea allergy by using an oral flea preventative and such as Simparica or Nexgard. Food allergy is often rolled out with a prescription hydrolyzed diet. Environmental allergy can be tested with a blood sample or a response to therapy. Thyroid conditions are detected with a blood test. I recommend to call your veterinarian to discuss which option is the best one to start with. At home providing quality food and an omega-3 fatty acid supplement for pets can help maintain skin health which can provide some protection. Royal Canin and Nutro are both good diet. Keeping him dry and drying him off quickly when he gets wet can also help. Lastly, make sure to protect any hotspots from licking or scratching. He may need to wear an elizabethan collar. I hope this helps.

Hello, and thank you for your question. A recurring hot spot may be caused by a stubborn bacterial infection, or underlying allergies, or both. Did you keep Dewey on the new diet for a minimum of 8 weeks, with no other treats or table scraps, and did the spot come back after you stopped the food? If so, he may have a food allergy and need to stay on a hypoallergenic diet for life. It is also possible he may need something stronger than a topical antibiotic. I would take Dewey back the vet within the next 2-3 days and discuss if he should be on an oral antibiotic for a longer time period, if they suspect a stubborn bacterial infection. They may also want to conduct other tests such as a skin scraping or fungal culture, to rule out other causes of itchy red skin (e.g. mites, ringworm). In the meantime, I would put an e-collar (cone) on Dewey to ensure he does not further damage the skin. I hope this helps, and that your pup is feeling better soon!

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.

Aw poor Cujo! I'm sorry that he's having these skin issues. There is a good chance that these signs are related to food or environmental allergies (atopy) which is an issue with the immune system. It would be a good idea to discuss a prescription food trial diet with your veterinarian. Many pets will respond to a prescription food like Royal Canin Ultamino or Hydrolyzed protein diet. To know if a prescription diet is working Cujo would need to be on the diet for at least 8 weeks and fed nothing else (not even treats). Natural Balance makes a limited ingredient diet that I have seen some success with if a prescription diet is not an option for you. I would also suggest discussing a long term allergy medication with your veterinarian. Cytopoint, Apoquel, or atopica may be good options for Cujo. Medicated bathing may also be helpful. Allergies can be frustrating to deal with, but once you figure out what works for Cujo he will easier to maintain. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I'm hoping for a speedy resolution for Cujo!

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 Jackson. From your description, I would guess that Jackson likely has a superficial infection and needs antibiotics or antifungals to get the itching under control. He may also need steroids or an anti-inflammatory and/or anti-itch medication. You've tried the right home remedies, but since that's not cutting it, I would recommend a vet ASAP. They will sample the surface of his skin to see if there is bacteria or yeast there, and then treat the infection. It's also worthwhile to talk with the vet about the underlying cause of this itching. It could be allergies (but new allergies in a 11 year old would be odd) or an endocrine disorder disrupting the normal functioning of the skin, or other issues.

HI, it is possible that Rem is allergic to something and these secondary bacterial infections are just a consequence. Have you tried an hypoallergenic diet for him ? You could do a trial with an hypoallergenic diet for 2 months and see of this makes any difference. You would need to be very strict with you, just feeding this diet only for the time being. Initially the change will be gradual by mixing the new food to his old diet. Another possibility is to have some blood test done to try to find out to which substances he is allergic to. Hope this helps !