My dog has a red, itchy spot. Could it be ringworm or a hot spot?

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see that Jenny does have a well demarcated area of hair loss and redness. This can be indicative of a skin infection, namely ringworm, which is a fungus that can be transmitted to people. I recommend having Jenny seen by a vet as soon as possible and making sure that you wash your hands with soap and water after petting Jenny. Your vet can take a small sample of hair and skin to rule out the condition and prescribe anti fungal or antibiotic medication if necessary. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could actually be either of the two and the only way to know for sure is by testing with a fungal culture. This is a test that your veterinarian can run easily. While the location in the ventral abdomen is not typical of ringworm in cats, this is certainly possible. One thing to point out is that usually ringworm does not cause itchiness in cats while hot spots or dermal infections tend to do. I recommend that you have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Your veterinarian can test to see if ringworm is possible. In the meantime, try to avoid having direct contact with this lesion in case it is ringworm as that can be transmitted to humans. Good luck and have a good night!

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Without a fungal culture, it is very difficult to definitively diagnose ringworm. There are a lot of skin issues that can look red, crusty or flaky & not all of them will be ringworm. Using a combination of antifungal & antibacterial products is a great idea. For any shampoo, make sure the lather stays on the skin for at least 10 minutes before rinsing. If there is no improvement after about 3 weeks, or the skin lesions get worse, please have your veterinarian examine them

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Frank. Yes, it could be ringworm or it could be something else contagious like mange or fleas. I'd have them both seen by a vet in the morning to have this diagnosed and treated. I hope this helps!

That looks more like a really inflamed “hot spot” to me. Put an ecollar on him so he can’t lick at it, and take him to your vet. He may need oral antibiotics and a prescription topical treatment. If you are unable to get him to a vet, use the ecollar as I mentioned, and try this product:https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-hydrocortison-cream Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If Penelope has had treatment for mites and the other lesions resolved but not this one, this could be a separate problem such as ringworm, different mite or a benign tumor. I would recommend having the veterinarian look at this to help determine what the cause could be. Different medication would be needed for ringworm and if it is a tumor, it is likely what we call a histiocytoma, which is common in young dogs and resolves on its own. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It’s uncommon for older dogs to get ringworm, and when they do it’s generally on the face. This area may have started to itch and she got it red and irritated from licking. I would clean the area with a medicated shampoo that kills both bacteria and yeast. Then apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. In addition use a cone if she’s licking the area. If you wash your hands well after touching her you shouldn’t get anything. If it’s not healing or there are other areas then please take her in for an exam and skin tests to determine if it’s ringworm or infection. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for your dog.