A hot spot is an annoying skin condition that dogs can suffer from. With some dogs, it keeps coming back and that causes a lot of problems, for both the dog and the owner. How can you prevent hot spots from coming back? How can you prevent this skin condition in your dog?
What is Hot Spot?
A hot spot is an irritated spot that the dog will lick. Licking makes the area even more irritated and can cause significant inflammation. Hot spots can occur once, but unfortunately, some dogs have the misfortune they regularly suffer from a hotspot.
In that case, the costs of the vet can be quite high and often counts: ‘prevention is better than cure. But how can you prevent the hotspot in your dog?
Find the cause
The first step to take is to find out what is causing the hotspot. This is easier said than done. The cause can be something different for every dog. For example, it can be related to food, an allergy, fleas, or a wet coat. You should keep in mind that it may take a while to find the cause. However, by finding the cause you can easily prevent the hotspot in the future.
Check carefully for fleas
Chances are your dog is allergic to flea bites. So make sure you keep a close eye on this. Check to see if the dog has fleas or if he may have been around dogs that have fleas. Using preventative flea medicine can also help. You can think of drops in the neck or a flea collar.
Change the feed
There are dogs that react to certain foods. It doesn’t hurt to test what happens to the skin when the dog is given different food. For example, try food from a different brand or fresh food. See if this makes a difference and if necessary switch back to the old food later to see if it is indeed coming from there. Pay attention: it can take up to four weeks before you notice a difference with other food.
Brush the dog to avoid hot spot
Dogs with long hair or a thick undercoat are generally more prone to hot spots. Loose hair in the coat can cause problems. It is therefore important to brush the dog regularly. Make sure you have a brush that is suitable for your dog’s coat and, if necessary, get information about this from a pet store. It can also help to take the dog to the groomer once.
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Dry the coat well
Hotspots can be caused by a wet coat. When the dog lies down on the fur, it can start to heat. Has it been raining or has your dog been swimming? Then dry it well afterward, this could help to prevent the hotspot.
Prevent dry skin
Some dogs get hot spots because they have dry skin that causes a lot of itching and irritation. You can recognize dry skin by the white flakes on the coat. There are several ways to deal with this dry skin. For example, put Omega-3 drops through the feed. In the winter months, you can put bowls of water on the windowsill. This can also help with dry skin.
Take an allergy test
An allergy test can reveal a lot about the hotspot. Do this mainly as a last resort. The test is not very cheap and there is a good chance that nothing will come out. However, if you know that the dog does indeed have an allergy, it can become much easier to prevent the hot spot.
