These include bacterial infections, fungal infections, allergies, hormonal imbalances, seborrhea and lick granulomas. There are thick textbooks devoted to this subject. There are no known inherited skin diseases of the Flat-Coated Retriever. Hot spots are thought to be the result of an itch-scratch cycle that can occur in conjunction with a problem such as flea allergy. The dog's scratching and chewing is a response to the itching.
Sores then develop which can become infected.
Drying agents are also recommended. Long term prevention involves finding and eliminating the underlying cause of the itching. Canine acne usually appears in adolescent dogs. There is some thought that it shares similar causes to acne in adolescent humans. This has been associated with increased sensitivity of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles to changes in the amount of male sex hormones circulating in the bloodstream.