Sores and tender areas on your pup’s undercoat are known as hot spots, and these reddened patches of skin (which may be flat, or oozing and crusted) are rashes that require special attention, whether that be from a home remedy or through treatments from a licensed veterinarian. It’s important to take proper care of hot spots quickly – the goal should be to improve hygiene and speed up healing, without causing Fido any undue distress.
Your young dog may seem obsessed with the hot spots on his or her undercoat – typically, puppies will “pick and lick” at their rash-y hot spots until owners become extremely upset about these areas of pronounced skin inflammation. After all, no one wants to see their little puppy suffer; however, many pet owners do balk at paying the veterinarian when they don’t need to – instead, these puppy owners want to find an ideal way of treating hot spots at home. Luckily, there are some great ways to improve the condition of your dog’s undercoat all by yourself – all it takes is discipline and a little patience.
Here are two different strategies for treating hot spots:
Home Remedies – Taking scrupulous care of your little pet’s skin in the most important factor in administering an effective course of treatment from your own home. This means cleaning and disinfecting your puppy’s sores on a daily basis. Begin by drying out the sores as best you can – some pet owners prefer to shave off (very gently and carefully) dog hair in the afflicted area.
Then, clean the skin with cool water and a mild cleanser that is puppy-safe (you can find great cleansers for puppy undercoats at your local pet store or grocery store). Now that the skin is shaved and clean, dry it off carefully to prepare it for treatment.
The next step is to make a poultice out of cold, wet teabags – use green tea for the best results. Leave the damp teabags on your puppy’s sores for about five minutes, and then remove them and dry the area with a clean towel. Use each teabag only once, as it may come in contact with bacteria from your puppy’s wounds. Black tea compresses will also get decent results.
After a few days of treatment, observe your little canine pal’s behaviour – is he or she spending less time licking, picking and scratching at the reddened areas? As your dog’s undercoat improves, he or she will be less inclined to obsess over hot spots, and redness should begin to recede. These signals will show you that your home remedy is beginning to have a positive effect on this type of skin irritation.
If you don’t notice any improvement, it’s time to take Fido to the veterinarian for some expert medical care. After all, these hot spots are very unpleasant for your dog – try not to wait too long to get expert assistance if your own efforts don’t seem to be working out as you’d like…
Veterinarian Remedy/Treatment – A vet spends years learning how to handle all aspects of puppy care, and a good veterinarian will definitely know how to treat the hot spots on your puppy’s undercoat. Typically, a vet will use antibiotic meds to kill germs that live on the skin and cause or exacerbate hot spots. These prescription-strength products just aren’t available over the counter, because they contain lots of active ingredients that kill the bacteria inside of wounds.
After a visit to the vet, you may need to follow this pet doctor’s instructions by giving your puppy more medicine. With antibiotics, it’s important to finish a whole prescription to avoid any recurrences of infection. Veterinarians also have access to a host of special sprays that can be applied topically to the undercoat – these sprays will disinfect and dry out sores, and they do work very fast.
As you can see, there are myriad ways to relieve your little puppy’s discomfort when hot spots appear on his or her undercoat. Giving your young dog plenty of affection and comfort while they are dealing with hot spots is also a great idea – puppies need more care and compassion when they are feeling unwell.
If your puppy acts out because he or she is dealing with chronic discomfort, try to discipline your animal with the utmost patience and gentleness. Hot spots are a part of life for many puppies, but loving owners soon learn how to minimize discomfort and treat these tiresome skin infections. Usually, a few days of treatment will give excellent and long-lasting results, and your puppy will soon be restored to peak health and happiness.
Related posts:
- Treating Your Lawn for Ticks
- Treating Canine Constipation
- Different Brushes to Use for Different Coats
