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Dog hot spot near tail/rectum: How to treat & do I need to shave?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 9 years and 6 months old | 68 lbs

Hunter has a hot spot at the base of his tail near his rectum. How can I best treat that? Do I have to shave the area?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Oneal Bogan, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 22nd, 2018

Hi there. Most hot spots need antibiotic therapy. You can try shaving it and cleaning it with an antiseptic rinse which will sometimes be enough to make it heal, but if it doesn't resolve I would have Hunter seen by your veterinarian for antibiotics and to confirm that it is a hot spot. I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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