My dog has itchy, bleeding scalp lesions. Are they hot spots?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a hot spot. This is basically a bacterial infection secondary to self-trauma such as scratching. This is possibly secondary to allergies or another cause resulting in itchiness. I recommend that you have Bella evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If confirmed a hot spot on examination, then they would start her on antibiotics and something like steroids to decrease the itch. In the meantime, you can use an e-collar which you may get from your local pet store to try to prevent further scratching. Good luck and have a good night!

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

It looks like Stella has a hot spot. The area should be clipped with clippers and scrubbed with an antiseptic wound cleaner. An oral antibiotic and a corticosteroid may also be needed to help the lesion heal. A lot of times hot spots are associated with allergies so you could talk to your vet about keeping her on an oral anti-histamine. Hope she gets better soon!

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.

Ouch, poor Chewie! This lesion looks most consistent with a hot spot (moist dermatitis). Given the location, I would also be concerned that he created the lesion from trying to scratch his ears from an ear infection. If you have clippers on hand, you can clip the hair around the skin lesion and then clean it with an antiseptic soap, such as chlorhexidine or betadine. It is worth taking a trip to the vet to have his skin and ears evaluated. Until you can take Chewie to the vet, keep an e-collar on him to prevent further skin damage. I hope that all goes well!

This looks like an area that was scraped and now has a secondary bacterial infection. Please clean the area with a warm wet cloth and once rinsed and dried apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. By washing it you should remove the dried up crusty skin. It may look more irritated but having it clean and open to the air it should heal more quickly. The rest of the skin looks fine. It may take several weeks or more to have the fur fill in. If you see more areas like this then an exam and skin scraping to determine the cause is in order. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Stella.

It sounds like she has a hotspot which could be secondary to allergies and/or an infection. The best thing would be to have your vet take a look at it to determine the best way to treat. She may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, and or a corticosteroid to treat and your vet can prescribe. If you can't take her to a vet than you could clean the area with an antiseptic wound cleaner but if she keeps scratching the area than it will not heal. Covering the area probably will not work but you could get an E-collar to prevent her from scratching.