Last Updated on January 30, 2022 by Marco C.
With the many injuries your dog can sustain in its life, wondering what are French Bulldog hot spots is a common inquiry. Dogs aren’t immune to injuring their skin, which is why it’s necessary to recognize the signs of an injury or illness. In today’s article, we’ll be looking at the “hot spot” condition in dogs and we’ll learn how to treat it.
About Hot Spots
It’s not odd if you heard about hot spots from another Bulldog owner. These pups are especially sensitive to this problem because their skin is particularly touchy. An English Bulldog having hot spots on skin is no less common than a Frenchie developing the same.
Hot spots are actually acute moist dermatitis.
This condition usually occurs on moist spots, hence the name. We can often see it between skin folds, for example. This is why vets recommend that owners regularly clean their Bulldog’s skin folds – these places are like a safe haven for various species of bacteria and other microscopic animals that are only going to hurt your dog!
It’s also possible to develop a hot spot on the neck and under the hips!
Insect bites and bites from fleas and ticks are the usual culprits for this condition, but it’s also possible that mites are in question. However, insects aren’t the only option, as this can also be started by a bacterial infection. A fungal infection isn’t out of the question either, as well as trapped moisture.
Believe it or not, it’s also possible for your dog to cause this on their own by scratching, and biting a single spot on their skin too much!
You wouldn’t be wrong to call hot spots just extreme skin irritation. If you don’t treat it immediately, your dog will only spread it by accident! These spots evolve very quickly and it’s not odd for it to spread by an inch a day!
Hot Spot Symptoms
The first thing you’ll notice is that your dog is constantly scratching and biting a single spot. This usually indicates some sort of problem. You should inspect more closely. If your dog is suffering from skin irritation and they developed a hot spot, you’ll notice an obviously irritated spot on their skin. It can quickly change color, sometimes even becoming green!
In the beginning, the spot will be red and moist, but it can change color if you don’t treat it soon enough. It’s also characteristic that this spot spreads around the skin – it won’t just remain the same size.
Bulldog Hot Spots Treatment
The best thing you can do to help your dog with hot spots is to take them to see the vet. You can rest assured that a hot spot isn’t anything that’ll expand rapidly and it usually isn’t lethal, so you don’t have to urgently react in fear for your dog’s life. However, you should act quickly if you want to stop the spread and make your dog comfortable quickly.
Read more about: Why Is My French Bulldog Shaking?
Once your vet diagnoses your dog with acute moist dermatitis, they’ll likely clean the irritated part of the skin and cut the fur around it. Hair touching irritated skin can be annoying for the dog and even painful. After that, it’s necessary to clean the wound completely, usually with an antiseptic agent, such as a rinse or a spray. The job of these agents is to kill the bacteria which should alleviate the infection.
After that, the vet will inject your dog with a little something to help with the pain and the irritation, but also the inflammation. The rest of the treatment is something you’ll do on your own! Your vet will prescribe a drug, either a balm or a drug your dog will have to take orally. The purpose of these is to fight bacterial infection.
Lastly, it’s possible that the cortisol your dog got to prevent pain and irritation won’t be enough and they’ll have to wear a cone to stop them from scratching.
That’s usually all there is to it – hot spots are a minor worry when it comes to health and you can usually take care of it quickly and painlessly.
Preventing Hot Spots
The most important piece of advice you’ll get from veterinarians and more experienced owners is to clean your dog’s creases and excess skin! These are the places where bacteria and microorganisms thrive, so it’s also the most likely place for your pup to develop skin irritation. You don’t have to bathe them every time you want to wash these parts of their body, you can just clean them with a bit of water and disinfectant.
It’s also necessary to bathe them after they get dirty or if it’s just been a while. Unlike many other dogs, Bulldogs have sensitive skin, which means that you have to bathe them more often! Once you’re done with bathing, make sure that you dry them off properly, as you don’t want them staying wet or even damp – this makes it easier for bacteria to develop very early on.
Some owners also use omega-3 oil supplements that they add to their food to boost their dog’s immunity.
It would also be smart to check for allergies. Allergies can be a cause for hot spots, and these might keep happening again and again if there’s something in your dog’s environment that they’re allergic to. Make sure to also check for fleas and ticks often, especially if you’re spending a lot of time in the wilderness.
To sum up, hot spots are acute moist dermatitis, and it’s a skin condition that can easily occur in Bulldogs. Bulldogs have very sensitive skin and that makes it easy for them to develop skin irritations. This form of skin irritation is rarely lethal, but you should definitely take your dog to the vet as soon as possible. If your dog has a hot spot, you’ll notice that they’re scratching and biting a specific spot.
The treatment for hot spots is a simple course of cleaning the infected area with some medication!
