Home Remedies for Hot Spots on Dogs

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A hot spot is an area on a dogs skin that becomes inflamed and infected. Other names for hot spots on dogs include moist dermatitis and acute moist dermatitis. What happens to make it a hot spot is a dog gets an itch from flea bites, mite bites or other external parasites and starts licking and biting at it. The more they lick and bite at it, the more infected and inflamed it will get. The signs of hot spots on dogs include redness, itchiness, oozing pus and pain. There are ways to treat hot spots from home and save you time and money.

Shave the Area

The very first thing a dog owner needs to do when treating hot spots is to shave the area. Although hair loss in one of the symptoms of hot spots, hair can grow over the area and will need to be removed to treat it. Shaving the area will dry the hot spots out and allow air to get to them.

Cleanse the Area

Once the area is free of fur, you will then want to cleanse the area with warm water and a gentle cleanser. You can use a water based cleanser, antiseptic spray or a special shampoo. Rinse the area well and pat dry.

Black Tea Bags

You can also use black tea bags on the area to treat the hot spots. Black tea contains tannic acids which will help dry out and heal the hot spot quickly. Steep the black tea bag in hot water and let it cool. Apply the black tea bag to the hot spot for at least 5 minutes. Use black tea bags on the hot spots every day, six times a day until the hot spots are gone. You can also apply witch hazel to the hot spots as it will cool and relieve the symptoms from them.

Salt Water Solution

Fill a bowl with water and a teaspoon of salt. Soak a wash cloth in this salt water solution and apply the salt water soaked wash cloth to the hot spots. Let this sit for a few minutes. The salt water solution will help reduce the swelling caused by the hot spot and remove the pus as well.

Prevention

Once getting rid of the hot spots, you will want to do everything you can to prevent them from coming back. A few tips to do this include providing your dog with enough activities to keep them from biting and licking any itches, trying out a special collar to prevent them from biting and licking, keep their nails trimmed as often as possible to keep them from digging and keep their skin relieved and cool with witch hazel.

Using the above mentioned home remedies will not only save you a trip to the vet and the cost of the vet but your dog will be happy too.

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Home Remedies for Dog Hot Spot Treatment