Rockwall Veterinary Hospital – Billy was driving around and had to stop at a red light. As he waited for the light to turn green, he noticed a dog sitting next to a wall licking itself extensively. While he sat and sat, the light seemed to take forever, he watched as the dog chewed and licked itself. As he watched her, he noticed a bright red spot and what appeared like blood. The dog was chewing itself so much, it was starting to bleed.

Billy decided to pull his car over to the curb and have a closer look at her. He was well aware that if he drove away, it would bug him for weeks. As first, when Billy climbed out of his car, the dog didn’t even look at him. As he moved closer, Billy could hear her whimpering as she chewed. He approached her cautiously and slowly reached out to her.

The area was circular and red, with a swollen area in the center almost the size of a plate. Her coat was mostly gone in that area, but she was determined to keep chewing. The dog seemed so miserable.

Todd was fortunate to find a name and phone number on her tags. He called the number and the owner told him that she had escaped the day before and they had been searching for her. When Todd told him about the dog hot spot, the owner was not familiar with the condition, but wanted to get there as soon as possible.

Billy showed John the inflamed area when he arrived. He told John that his dog had had dog hot spots before so he had some experience with them. “You need to get her to a vet soon, dog hot spots can multiply if they are not taken care of.

Once there, the vet shaved and cleaned the infected area and then placed an Elizabethan cone around her head to keep her from licking and chewing. Todd thought to himself that she was lucky that he found her when he did. After a few weeks, with the proper care, the hot spots would go away and she would be okay.