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My dog's skin: ringworm or hotspot? Used ointment, should I see vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 1 year and 4 months old | 20.08 lbs

I'm not sure if what he has is ring worm or hotspots. I just put on some Derma-Vet ointment. Should I take him to the vet? In previous questions, I have mentioned he's had hot spots before.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 23rd, 2017

Hello, sorry to hear about Boo. Its hard to determine wether this is either of those without doing some further testing. With hot-spots you have a lesion that is very itchy, moist, red, and sometimes foul smelling. With ringworm, you seem hair loss, crusty lesions, and mild-to moderate itchiness. If this is very early hot spot, then the derma vet should help it from getting worse and Boo should also wear an e-collar so that he doesn't scratch it and make it worse. If this is wring worm, then its unlikely that the Derma-vet will help it. You would be most concerned about ringworm if he has been at a dog park, grassy areas, or places with dirt, or at boarding facilities. If this lesion isn't getting better with the derma-vet you should definitely see your veterinarian. Hope this helps.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 17th, 2020

    Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately, the picture you posted is blurred and I cannot see the lesion at all. Please, post us another question with a better quality picture. In general, ringworm infection looks like a bald, dry skin with red margins, which usually is not itchy to the dog. Conversely, hotspots are often itchy and the skin is moist /wet to touch.

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