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My dog has hot spots. Bathing makes them worse. What can I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My dog has hot spots , bathing her does not help. I have been using Exploring on her spots.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Paula Simons

Veterinarian

Published on December 9th, 2014

The key to combating hot spots is to keep the area clean and dry. Hot spots usually worsen when a dog starts licking the affected areas. You can try putting a cone or shirt on your dog to prevent licking/chewing at the area. You can also try cutting or clipping the hair around the hot spot to help dry the area out. I would stop bathing your dog as moisture can often make a hot spot worse. Severe hot spots need to be addressed by a veterinarian who will give your dog medication to help heal the sores.

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10Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 9th, 2017

    Poor Brooklyn Riley! If you have not yet done so, try to use clippers to clip the hair over and around the hot spot to allow for better air flow to the area. You can keep the hot spot clean with a diluted chlorhexidine solution or betadine solution, taking care to rinse and dry the area thoroughly afterwards. If you cannot find either of these antiseptic solutions, this shampoo is a good alternative: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27981 . If she is licking or scratching at the area, be sure to keep an e-collar (cone) in place until the hot spot has resolved. Some dogs with hot spots also require oral antibiotics and anti-itch medications, so if this issue persists or worsens, Brooklyn Riley may need to make a trip to her vet. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

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    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 6th, 2018

    Hot spots can occur secondary to food or environmental allergies or can also be related to co tact hypersensitivity (such as contact with a shampoo). I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Blue - most of the time oral medications are needed to help the hot spot resolve. You can also discuss the possibility of allergies.

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 2nd, 2019

    Antibiotics (systemic) and a combination between local disinfection (betadine or hibiscrub solution ) and anti-inflammatory/antibiotic ointment are usually enough to resolve efficiently the problem. I would strongly recommend an immediate check up to have all these prescribed.

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Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Should a hot spot on a dog be bathed and can it be spayed with hydrocortisone
Yes you can bathe a dog with a hot spot. The area of the hot spot really needs to have the hair shaved away over and around it and the area cleaned with mild soap and rinse well with water. You can use hydrocortisone spray in that area but it may not heal without any antibiotics. You can also give her benadryl twice a day. See link below. If it is an area she can chew, I would put a cone collar on her. If it isn't improving, I would have your vet take a look at her as she may need oral antibiotics and stronger allergy meds to help it heal. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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How to treat a hot spot at home
I like to trim the hair around the hot spot to open up the skin to the air. Then wash it with antibacterial soap to remove the discharge. After drying it then apply thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. You can also apply some cortisone cream on it to reduce the itch. It's best to use a restraint collar to prevent licking and scratching so it will heal. Make sure there are no fleas or ear infection as these can cause itching resulting in hot spots. If they are severe and you are unable to get them to heal then I would bring Princess to your veterinarian for treatment. They may give an injection to prevent scratching and an oral antibiotic to heal the skin infection. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Princess.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has a hotspot, and I was wondering if anyone could recommend an antiseptic/antibacterial soap that I could use to keep it clean. Something that wont irritate her.
Poor Brooklyn Riley! If you have not yet done so, try to use clippers to clip the hair over and around the hot spot to allow for better air flow to the area. You can keep the hot spot clean with a diluted chlorhexidine solution or betadine solution, taking care to rinse and dry the area thoroughly afterwards. If you cannot find either of these antiseptic solutions, this shampoo is a good alternative: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27981 . If she is licking or scratching at the area, be sure to keep an e-collar (cone) in place until the hot spot has resolved. Some dogs with hot spots also require oral antibiotics and anti-itch medications, so if this issue persists or worsens, Brooklyn Riley may need to make a trip to her vet. I hope this helps and that all goes well!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
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Tobin, a golden doodle, continues to get hot spots. What can I do to heal the one he has and prevent new ones from emerging.
Continued hotspots are generally a sign of an underlying allergy. This allergy could be related to flea bites, a food allergy or an environmental allergy. Hypothyroidism is uncommon in a young dog but is possible as well and will result in hotspots. Until you determine the underlying cause, it will be impossible to stop the hotspots. You can rule out flea allergy by using an oral flea preventative and such as Simparica or Nexgard. Food allergy is often rolled out with a prescription hydrolyzed diet. Environmental allergy can be tested with a blood sample or a response to therapy. Thyroid conditions are detected with a blood test. I recommend to call your veterinarian to discuss which option is the best one to start with. At home providing quality food and an omega-3 fatty acid supplement for pets can help maintain skin health which can provide some protection. Royal Canin and Nutro are both good diet. Keeping him dry and drying him off quickly when he gets wet can also help. Lastly, ma
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I gave peapumpkin her prednisone for her hot spot but sheds still chewing and biting . Can she take a 10 mg hydroxizine tablet that is hers on top of that to stop it ? They have the steroid and antibiotics this last time she had pneumonia again loud
Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent further licking or chewing. This alone may allow time for healing. Continue to medicate her as directed by your veterinarian. Legally, we are prohibited from recommending medications or providing dosing information in the absence of a physical exam and a patient-veterinarian-client relationship. Discuss antihistamine use with your veterinarian.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog as a flea allergy and I have treated her and her skin cleared up lovely. She no longer has fleas but now has hot spots that she constantly licks. I am using a antibacterial powder that seems to be working but what else can I do?
Hello and welcome to Boop by Petco. Hot spots can be difficult to heal, and the most important part of healing them is to stop the dogs from chewing and making the hot spot worse. An E-Collar is the most important part of this. Also, shaving the fur to allow the area to dry out is important and cleaning this with an anti-bacterial soap twice a day helps, and importantly drying the area very well after cleaning it. Often-times oral antibiotics are needed for hot spots, and sometimes an anti-inflammatory is required to take away the itch/pain. Often going to a vet to get the right products, and to determine if oral antibiotics are needed can help things heal up much faster. Step 1 however is the E-collar. Best of luck with Suzie!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
been treating hot spot with peroxide. now have scab. do i continue with peroxide or use an antiitch ointment now?
Hydrogen peroxide can be effective to initially clean a wound or hot spot, but can actually delay healing when used repeatedly. For this reason, I would recommend discontinuing the hydrogen peroxide. Talk to Drake's vet before using any anti-itch ointments because they are not meant to be ingested and could be concerning if Drake licks it off. Instead, clip all hair around the hot spot and clean it with gentle soap and water. Be sure to rinse and dry the spot thoroughly. Otherwise, many hot spots do not require further medication or treatment aside from keeping Drake from licking it. However, if the lesion does not resolve with this management strategy, Drake may need to go to his vet for prescription based medications.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Dog has a hot spot near his rear that he won't stop licking. It seems to have gotten really bad.
The best thing to do for Elmer is to take him to your veterinarian. Here they can shave the hotspot and clean it up. Antibiotics are usually prescribed for a hotspot and sometimes a topical ointment or spray. Until you can bring Elmer to your veterinarian I do recommend an Elizabethan collar to prevent him from licking. Licking a hotspot will make it worse very quickly. I hope Elmer feels better soon and thank you for using Boop by Petco!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
How can you treat hotspot at home? What can I use to clean them? And hydrogen peroxide be applied?
A definite NO on the hydrogen peroxide! 1. It is best to shave the hair around the affected area if at all possible. If you don't have clippers you can use scissors to shorten the hair - just be careful you don't cut him. If you can't shave or trim the hair don't stress too much about it. 2. You can clean and treat all in one step with these medicated pads. Twice a day. ( https://www.chewy.com/pet-md-chlorhexidine-antiseptic-dog/dp/146635 ) 3. If he is really itching you can also apply this topical hydrocortisone spray after the wound is dry from the using the pads. Once a day should be enough. ( https://www.chewy.com/zymox-enzymatic-topical-spray/dp/125742 ) If no improvement after about 5-7 days then you should have your vet check him out. Sometimes oral antibiotics are needed to clear these up if they are bad enough. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog looks like she has hotspots. I tried bathing her in shampoo that specializes in hotspots, but it looks like it is getting worse. What should I do?
A lot of skin conditions can look like hot spots, bacterial skin infection, ringworm, even mite infections, and allergies, flea bites and other itchy lesions. each on of these is treated with a different medication or avoidance of allergens, etc. Therefore it is very important to have a correct diagnosis, ie know what is causing the hot spot so the proper treatment can be initiated. I strongly recommend you schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam of the hot spots. Your vet may want to do a skin scraping or a take a swab or brush sample to help determine the cause and then specifically address the problem.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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