Hot spots are one of those less than desirable skin irritations seen in dogs and other pets and can be visually recognised as red, hot, moist, irritated lesions. Often, you’ll hear your vet refer to them as moist dermatitis. This moist, raw skin disorder has a variety of causes but the most consistent factor is bacteria.Hot spots (also known as Summer Sores or Moist Dermatitis) can seemingly appear spontaneously anywhere on a dog’s body but are generally found on a dog’s head, hip, or chest area. They can grow rapidly because often dogs will lick, chew, and scratch the hot spot, causing further irritation and damage to the skin. 

The good news is, they can be easy to prevent, spot and treat. 

Some symptoms may include:

• Itchy, painful skin
• Continuous licking and/or chewing at site of hot spot
• Redness
• Inflammation
• Swelling of the affected area of skin
• Crusty scabs
• Oozing sores
• Dry, scaly skin
• Hair loss
• Foul odor at lesion site

Some natural solutions that may help: 

• Get your dog on a varied, balanced, species-appropriate raw food diet.
• Eliminate toxins, including herbicides, pesticides (including over-the-counter flea and tick treatments), toxic cleaning products, and more. By reducing or removing toxins in the environment as much as possible, your dog’s kidneys and liver don’t have to deal with them and get overwhelmed.
• Support your dog with natural modalities when they are going through a hot spot episode. These modalities may include essential oils (lavender is a good choice) and/or colloidal silver.
• Be patient if you make these changes and your dog enters a healing response. Contact a veterinarian if you need additional help.

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