Is my dog's itchy, flaky spot after fleas a hot spot or infection?

Hot spots are superficial bacterial infections of the skin that often happen secondary to trauma such as a dog scratching itself - so it is possible that a flea infestation could *lead* to hot spots. With flea infestations, dogs often focus their scratching/chewing at the base of the tail, but tend to scratch everywhere. Fleas themselves may be found if you look closely, particularly on the belly and thighs where the hair is thinner and they may be easier to see. An experienced observer looks for evidence of "flea dirt", which is the digested blood fleas pass in their feces. It looks like tiny black dots (almost like black dandruff) but if you smear it on a damp paper towel it becomes rusty red. Hot spots, again, may occur secondary to the scratching with fleas, but also very commonly happen secondary to allergies. If the problem is a hot spot alone, the dog will focus their scratching/chewing at the hot spot. Hot spots tend to cause focal areas of hair loss and the skin will be moist, a bit stinky, and very irritated/tender. When in doubt, it is *always* a good idea to make sure your dog has a high quality flea/tick preventative (Nexgard, Bravecto, Advantix, Revolution are my personal top choices). Hope this helps!

That area could be an area of healing bacterial infection. However it could also be related to ringworm or mites. It's likely that the area is in the healing process so I suspect it will be completely resolved in a few days. However, if it doesn't resolve or the area starts to grow larger or becomes itchy Max should he examined by a veterinarian. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Looks like your little lady is giving herself some hot spots there. If there is a hot spot forming under the hair then the best thing to do is to remove the hair and cleanse the area with an antibacterial solution. Some dogs require topical and/or oral antibiotics and other dogs benefit from some steroids to stop the itch. Most hot spots are secondary to underlying allergies (inhaled/environmental, food, or flea). If seasonal environmental is most likely. The best way to help her would be to see your family vet to have the areas addressed topically and so that medications can be prescribed to treat any infection and stop the itch. 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.

Hello, Yes, the lesions could be hot spots. You need to remove the scabs and clean the skin twice daily with antiseptic solution (ideally containing chlorhexidine, for example Hibiclens). Also, you need to stop Stella from scratching and biting the lesions. A head cone is usually the best in such situations. If after a few days of treatment (4-5 days) you don't see any improvement, you will need to take Stella to your local vets to get the treatment in form of oral antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory medications.

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!

Based on your photos, it appears that Marley has a skin infection. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at this so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! If you are unable to get to a veterinarian right away, I would recommend the below following products which can be found online quite easily. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Douxo PS Calm mousse and apply once daily until resolved 3. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules and give as directed on bottle 4. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to affected area twice daily until resolved 5. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent