Thank you. Good advice. Yeah its quite yellow sowe might even try tto find a vet out here if it gets worse rather than wait til we get home. My friend had staph. It was super serious. Is it contagious to my other dog? To people?

How would a dog get staph?

It's a common bacterium. It's part of the "normal" flora on many people (especially in the nose)--and can sit around on surfaces for weeks. The world is (literally) covered by an invisible film of bacteria, including staph.

It's only a problem when it finds broken skin to colonize--on people or animals. So the short answer to your question is: all dogs likely have staph bacteria on them (along with their owners.) Broken skin (from whatever cause) is the primary issue. Bacterial infection is second.

Edit to add: The fact that staph is common shouldn't be interpreted to mean that it isn't serious. Staph is the primary bacteria that you hear so much about in the news being resistant to common antibiotics. MRSA ("Mersa") is the (often) hospital-acquired infection that is difficult to treat. The acronym is simply "Methicillin-resistant Staph. aureus"---one of the Staph bacteria that has become immune to our most powerful drugs. Back in the day, Staph could be killed by penicillin. Not any more.

Keeping all skin clean and dry--and quickly addressing any small wound--is good advice for people or dogs. Healthy unbroken skin is our natural and quite effective barrier to most bacteria.

Thank you. She has never had issues but now we will have to stay on top of cleaning and drying her wrinkles. Yes my friend had staph andit was very serious and scary! I was reading sshe may have tobbe put under to treat it. If this is the case theres no way im letting some stranger do it. So she is booked for sunday at our vet. Looks a bit better this morning..put gold bond on last night and seems to really help keep it dry. Cleaned it again this morning amd sprayed vetricyn. Then gold bond. So hopefully it doesn't spread by sunday.

For normal skin wrinkle infections she shouldn't have to be put under. It's only when the infection goes deeper than the skin that they have to do stuff like that.

In a skin fold with a bristly short haired dog sometimes the hair itself irritates the skin on the other side of the fold.
Goo-ey foods on the face in summer can contribute. Baby wipes can be used after eating in a dog with heavy flews which accumulate saliva and food particles. Snuffling around in a high sided not so clean bowl can contribute, as can a plastic bowl.
Having a product on hand like Panalog (neomycin/bactracin/dexamethasone or it's equivalent) can control these infections if you get it right when it starts, prevent irritation from exploding into infection.

Wet skin is the most common "cause" of hot spots in my experience. In folds, under collars, any place where drool accumulates, on the hips of heavy coated dogs who lie on damp concrete or in puddles. Summer is the worst time.

The Gold Bond was a good idea.

hi, thanks, was getting really gooey yellow so we used hydrogen peroxide which I know is harsh but it seemed to both clear up the yellow and dry it out. Ran into a few people where we were who had cane corso's(she was a big hit there) and they had hot spots as well. One lady recommended witch hazel and tea tree oil so we did that too. Polysporin just seemed to keep it goopy and yucky so we stopped that. She scratches at it and cut it open, so put a sock on her foot. Poor girl. The original spot seems a lot better and where it spread to is the bad spot now. unless dramatically improved will go to vet tomorrow. Good advice on the bowl, will clean it more and it is a plastic eco bowl. Will get a ceramic one. She doesn't wear a collar so that's good. I noticed her twitching/shaking her ear a lot and holding her head to the side of hot spot after swimming(she learned to actually swim this wknd)!!!! Don't know if its hot spot or ear but cleaned ears anyway.

I had a Norwich terrier that would break out in hot spots on his belly.
A Dachshund breeder said it was possible from running in wet grass.
Her advice was to DAB, not rub it with hydrogen peroxide. DAB, not rub it dry and then put medicated powder on it.
Medicated baby powder, Gold Bond, etc.
It worked great in this particular situation.

thx, we poured it on, shes getting wise now and a bit hesitant to put up with us touching it, its so raw I don't blame her, we started giving her lots of praise and a treat after so its not such a nasty experience for her. I can see it spreading under her fur and near her eye so its definitely off to the vet tomorrow. I am a bit worried about how she will be for the vet touching it...and a muzzle would just rub her spot. Thank god we have an awesome vet who lets me stay with her! I just want her better, even when her ear rubs on it she flinches, hate seeing her in pain

Careful with tea tree oil. It's very toxic to dogs.

Don't bother with trying to keep a plastic bowl clean. It's impossible. Move to stainless steel and don't buy the bowls they sell at Ace Hardware. I blast mine with steam to clean it about once a week and the bowl I got at Ace is rusting after three weeks. The bowl I got from a dog supply wholesaler six months ago still looks new.