Can dogs die from hot spots?

Question

My dog has a hot spot under his arm and its spreading. I'm going to take him to the vet tomorrow, but can he die from them? any answer would help, thanks.

Answer 1

No, he cannot die from a hot-spot. Only in an extreme and agressive form combined with infection, without your help...I don't believe, you would do that.

About hot-spots>>>

Cause?

Wet fur (after bathing f.e., it's good to take off the collar), flea bite, often itching, l*****g one place, alergy

Treatment?

1. shave the coat in afflicted area and in surroundings

2. wash it baby antibacterial soap, then dry it!

3. apply an astrigent solution or ointment (sudocrem f.e.)

4. protect the wound using a elizabethan collar

Take care.

Answer 2

No!  I've never know a dog to die from a hot spot.  If left untreated they can cause a bad infection to set in.

I suppose if the poor dog got no medical treatment and the infection was left to spread then perhaps the dog could die from the infection, but it would have to be a really awful one!  

ADD:  I hate to say but Vet student should go back to her books.  She is completely wrong.  Dry skin does not cause hot spots at all.  The main cause is the dog having an allergic reaction to a flea bite or an allergy to food or something in the enviroment.

I dont like to correct people but she is very wrong on this one!

Answer 3

it would take a long time for them to get that sick but yes they need to be treated with prednisone and neo predef/tet powder this powder will work really good and some times u need an antibiotic to. Hot spots can spread very fast .

Answer 4

A hot spot is like dry skin. Believe it or not, it is actually quiet common for dogs to have dry skin, as their skin is thinner then ours and dries out fairly quickly.

As to your question, no they cannot die from this, but it is very uncomfortable and itchy to them.

You should have him checked out and bathed by a vet so he is more comfortable. Also, a vet will be more then happy to give you tips on helping him with the problem.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

No, he will be fine!!! They get the hot spots because of allergies. Your vet will be able to tell you what to do. My bullmastiff had them all the time because he was allergic to so many things. You can put hydrocortisone cream on to help if he is itching. Don't worry though,he will be fine!

Answer 6

I would imagine if you let it get very infected and left it untreated for a very long time it could be fatal, but if treated correctly hot spots are not fatal.

Answer 7

Im sure if left untreated for weeks and weeks he could probably die, but not if you are taking him to the vet tomorrow.

My dog has always had a problem with hot spots, and as soon as we get onto them they go away within a few days. But they do spread so fast!

The vet will probably give you some quartazone cream, and perhaps a solution you can bathe the hot spot in. He will also give the dog a quartazone injection. (Well this is what our vet does, I asume your vet would do something similar). After she got it once, we found that she gets them a fair bit, we do what we can to prevent them but they come up. Its probably a good idea to keep some of the quartazone cream in the cupboard all the time, so you can get onto it right away if it happens again.

For now, you could try to bathe it in some warm salty water. We find that helps a little bit, and keeps it clean to prevent further infection.

I hope that helped!