My dog has an itchy, inflamed spot with hair loss. Home care?

Question

Hello, we believe that our dog has been bitten by a brown recluse spider who we saw in our home, and the next day our dog had a patch of hair missing on her neck, with inflammation on the skin, and she itches it. Is there anything we can do at home, as our vet is not available soon? Pet's info: Dog | Jack Russell Terrier | Female | unspayed | 5 years and 3 months old | 17 lbs

Amber Da Silva, DVM · Accepted Answer

From the crusting and redness, it does look like Lexi has an infection in her skin. You could start by doing a compress with warm wet washcloth to soften up and clean the crust away. Then clean the area with an antiseptic like betadine solution (diluted to the color of weak tea) and apply a topical triple antibiotic ointment. Based on where exactly it is, I would put on a cone or even a little t-shirt to stop her from scratching at it. If it doesn't improve or starts to spread, I would definitely recommend taking her to a vet for an exam as they sometimes need to be prescribed oral antibiotics.

My dog has an itchy, inflamed spot with hair loss. Home care?

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