Heat Rash?

[Lacey1988]

My chihuahua has a large spot just past her shoulder blades that is red and irritated..She scratches it so much she leaves sores sometimes.The sores ooze some clear musky liquid.

.. Its not mange because we have four other dogs that don't have it. Now her mother gets the something similar but its milder. I brought the mother to the vet before for it and the vet told me heat rash..so do you all think she has the same thing? or do I need to make another trip to the vet?

BTW This all started when it got really hot and humid here.

 

[dainerra]

it's called a "hot spot" not heat rash.

http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/dog-hot-spots.html

 

[Lacey1988]

Oh! that's what she called it for some reason I kept thinking she called it heat rash(*shrugs*it was a year ago)

 

[dainerra]

well, it can be caused by heat/humidity. It can also be caused by allergies. if it's really bad, you might need to put cortisone cream on it to stop the itching and pain. use a cone to make sure that she isn't able to lick it.

 

[AinaWGSD]

Hot spots are usually associated with allergies (pretty much every dog I've seen that gets them has some kind of allergy and they tend to get them at the same time every year) and are more common in the hotter humid months of summer. A dog with a thick undercoat being left a bit damp after a bath during allergy season can also be a contributing factor (because the skin stays moist and allows bacteria and/or yeast to get a foothold) but that seems unlikely if it's a chihuahua. In dogs with long or thick hair it is usually best to shave the affected area to allow air to get to the hot spot and help with healing (not to mention it makes putting topical medications on it easier). If it's oozing though it's probably got a secondary bacterial infection going on as well which would warrant another trip to the vet for some antibiotics. Make sure her nails are trimmed and smoothed to reduce the amount of damage she does to the area with scratching. You might even try putting a baby sock or doggie boots on her rear foot on that side so that her nails don't damage the skin as she scratches. Benadryl at 1mg per pound of body weight two to three times a day may help reduce the itching and make her less likely to scratch herself raw but it can take a while (up to a few weeks) to really be effective if the histamine response has already been triggered.