bald spot on my miniature poodle

Question
My miniature poodle is three years old and has never had a problem with her skin before. She has a bald spot where her right side meets her hind leg. At first I didn't think anything of it because it was small, about the size of a dime. It has been about four days since I have noticed the bald spot and it has grown bigger. It doesn't look like it is bothering her but I noticed a little dot of blood on the bald spot. I have no idea what it is or if it is anything to worry about. Can you tell me what it is?

Answer
Hello Christina,
Though I won't be able to give you a clear diagnosis because I can't see your dogs spot, I can guesstimate that it could be a hotspot.  A hotspot forms when your dog bites, licks or scratches an itchy place on her skin.  A hotspot can be caused by allergies, injuries, insect bites, or irritation on the skin.  Dogs can be allergic to about anything that people are allergic to, including grasses, trees, pollen, and things such as new cleaning products or chemicals from paints or new carpet.  Dogs can also be allergic to flea bites and can react if they get bitten from even one flea.  
Think about your recent purchases; have you bought or tried any kind of new cleaner or laundry detergent?  Have you recently switched your dogs food?  Have you or your neighbors sprayed their lawn with pesticides or fertilizers?  These changes could cause your dogs skin to react to the changes.  
You can give your dog a 1/2 tablet of Benedryl in the evenings for a couple of weeks to see if this helps her skin, and you can apply benedryl cream to the spot.  You can also put some antibiotic cream on it to help prevent infection.  

If you would like to, you can send me a picture of the spot so that I can have a better idea of what it might be.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim