Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

What causes a dog's mouth rash or hot spot, and how to treat it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 1 year and 10 months old | 10 lbs

Hello my dog has had a rash like condition on his mouth for about a week now . I’m not concerned because it looks like the hot spots he gets on his body and he’s acting normal but I would like to have insight on what it could be

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on September 12th, 2019

Reoccurring skin infections could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Secondary infections from yeast or bacteria are common. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Sonny wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

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

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 9th, 2016

    Poor Hogg!! This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be caused by an infection.

 I would recommend to get him to the vet to perform some skin tests - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation.

 If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy.

 Some medications can be given by the vet in order to stop the chewing and repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics).

There is also a nice topical spray available, it's called Cortavance and you can get it at the vets.

 Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider starting on a long term allergy treatment.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
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
My dog has a huge red spot on his inner left side and a small red spot on his belly. We were told to change his food and put medication on it. We did both it we away but it's back because our dog has licked in that spot again. Any ideas what it actua
Hello, and thank you for your question. A recurring hot spot may be caused by a stubborn bacterial infection, or underlying allergies, or both. Did you keep Dewey on the new diet for a minimum of 8 weeks, with no other treats or table scraps, and did the spot come back after you stopped the food? If so, he may have a food allergy and need to stay on a hypoallergenic diet for life. It is also possible he may need something stronger than a topical antibiotic. I would take Dewey back the vet within the next 2-3 days and discuss if he should be on an oral antibiotic for a longer time period, if they suspect a stubborn bacterial infection. They may also want to conduct other tests such as a skin scraping or fungal culture, to rule out other causes of itchy red skin (e.g. mites, ringworm). In the meantime, I would put an e-collar (cone) on Dewey to ensure he does not further damage the skin. I hope this helps, and that your pup is feeling better soon!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has skim lesions like as above the pics and it doesnt heal after applying so many topical agents and oral antibiotics. What should I do now. Please reply as soon as possible
Those spots on Jimmy could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with a oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they are unlikely to address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal C
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, my name is kadie Barnes an my dogs name is Ramblin. He has these spots that's showed up a couple months ago. They sometimes go away but come back. I was just wondering if you could help me figure out what it is? Please
Those spots on Ramblin could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy, ringworm or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. There is a simple test for ringworm. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try c
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My canine has what looks like a hot spot on her belly. It has been there for about 3 weeks. I initially thought it to be a rash. Now it is peaking slightly around the edges. I’m not sure what’s going on. It does not seem to bother her.
That spot on Fiona could be several things including allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection or ringworm (which humans can get). There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesion once a day (not her whole body, just the lesion). Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesion does not start improving within a week or if it is getting worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
My dog has always had irritated skin I’ve changed his diet which helped a bunch and a hot spot and itch relief but sometimes it just flares up so much and i get really overwhelmed & I bet he does too. He gets really red and itchy and i just don’t kno
Those spots on Basil could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with a oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they are unlikely to address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal C
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
A weird rash type looking thing randomly showed up on the left edge of my dog’s mouth a few days ago. It seems to be getting more red and potentially increasing in size. What could this be? I’m attaching one photo from a few days ago and two from tod
This presentation is likely to be caused by a localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungi). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello please i need a help. Lexy my golden retriever have a red spot on her skin i took it to my vet he said that its a hotspot . So he gave me keflex 500 and rilexine and predniderm and prednisone but its not healed and the hotspot became bigger tha
I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian again. When pets do not respond to treatment as normal, it can mean the correction condition has been diagnosed. Those spots on Lexy could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they are unlikely to address the underlying cause
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has been on antibiotics twice now in the past month for hot spots. They clear up after the meds are finished and they come right back again.
Hi there and thanks for posting on Boop by Petco! Sometimes hot spot that keep coming back are caused by an underlying allergy such as a seasonal, environmental, or food allergy. I would recommend allergy testing be done to determine if Max has an allergy to a food or something in his environment. If it is a food, Max may need to be on a special diet. If it is something in his environment or a seasonal allergy, anti-histamines prescribed by your veterinarian can be helpful as can allergy immunotherapy. I hope this helps and best wishes to you and Max!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has sores on his lips and was wondering what they are and if they can be treated. He had them before and they went away on their own (just kept them clean)
Those spots on Jet could be several things including fleas, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection, ringworm (which humans can get) or endocrine disease. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesions once a day (not his whole body, just the lesions). Also protect the area from trauma by having your pup wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesions do not start improving within a week or if they are getting worse, have him examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored