Can anyone tell me about hot spots please?

[GinSoakedBarroomQueenInMemphis]

My dog's groomer said she thinks my dog has a little hot spot on her chin. Apparently they can be caused by too much red meat, amongst other things?

My dog does have quite a bit of red-meat-based dog food because she doesn't like chicken-based or fish-based dog foods, (apart from Simpsons chicken and brown rice dry food; she loves that) - but she does like fresh chicken and fish. She eats Simpsons wet foods as well - mainly the ones like venison, kangaroo, duck, and so on. I rotate her food as she's very fussy and gets bored easily, so she also has a variety of Millie's Wolfheart and Simpsons dry foods; all rotated with the Simpsons wet food. God, if this is a food allergy it will be a nightmare to find out what's causing it

A quick Google tells me it could also be a mite, bite, dirt, poor grooming, etc. She gets wet and muddy quite often, but I keep her clean and always wash her when she's got dirty. I rinse her really well, so she shouldn't have residue shampoo left on her skin. I brush her a few times a week, and wipe her ears and face.

Google Images are horrific I'm quite upset. I've made a vet appointment for tomorrow, but in the meantime can anyone tell me anything about hot spots, treating them, possible causes, and so on please? I'm trying to gauge if there's anything I'm doing that could have caused it. It's not bugging her at the moment, she's not scratching at it or anything.

There's any number of causes...unless it becomes a recurring issue I wouldn't even bother looking into it TBH.

If it ends up being a recurring issue and you end up at a dermatologist they do skin prick tests including foods so it's not a case of just changing food and guessing.

Treatment, shave it, clean it and dry it...see if it needs antibiotics.

Oh really? Thanks Tabulah, that's very reassuring. This is her first one and she's 18 months old, so maybe it's a one-off in that case. I feel much better now!

Vet's tomorrow, so they can advise on antibiotics and keeping it clean then.

She does love mud and tearing through woodlands and parks. It could be a burr or something got stuck and she's irritated it. Could be anything I suppose! I keep her fur quite short because of the muddy thing.

My dog had one on his leg, really red and swollen. The vet said it was just where he kept licking it so it didn't get a chance to heal. She gave him some steroid cream and it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. He had to wear an Elizabethan collar for a few days though.

My last dog had 2 over 13 years...I'm pretty sure they were just scratches or something like that that got infected.

Current dog has had a recurring problem for a while, he's not long been diagnosed with a dust mite allergy but he's on tablets and so far they seem to be working.

Thanks Moonface. Was it just that one-off with your dog? Thankfully it sounds like it was easily dealt with.

(I like your user name - MoonfaceandSilky: from the magic faraway tree by Enid Blyton? That's brought back some memories!)

So was it the dust mites that caused the hot spots, Tabulahrasa?

yes with him it's the allergy, but we thought by the time he went for testing that it would be, he was getting multiple ones every few weeks.

But they also appear randomly so I'd not worry unless she's getting them often.

Thank you; you've made me feel much better. She's my first dog and I worry ridiculously about every little thing that might be wrong I'm astounded at how much I fell in love with her!

Yes it was a one-off he's not had any since. Funnily enough it was the groomer who noticed his one as well. I think they are quite common and easily dealt with.

(Yes the magic faraway tree - loved those books )

My retriever gets these fairly regularly. If you don't catch them early they can very quickly mutate into quite horrific looking big sore angry weeping patches, so check your dog's coat regularly. I clip, dry and treat with medical-grade manuka honey (a few quid off Amazon, worth its weight in gold for so many minor ailments). If needed I also treat with steroid cream.

Breaking the licking/biting habit should be done fairly early on. I just spotted a little bald patch on Spadge's front leg. He is bothering it quite a lot. I have got this www.dfordog.co.uk/protective-pet-sleeve-front-leg.html to break the lick cycle and will then keep an eye on it to see if anything more is needed or if it will now heal.

So could you try covering it over with something.

My golden gets them about once a year. Usually when the weather is humid and she isn't completely dry after swimming.

I clean, clip and dry the area and put a thin coating of gold bond powder on and she wears the cone. It dries them up well and helps stop the itching.

As long as it is small I don't go to the vets as it stresses her but of course would take her if it didn't improve quickly.