u/Willing-Obligation66

I’m a 15-year-old autistic boy who needs help figuring out if my two-year-old golden retriever, Benson, has hot spots. I think he might because his face is swelling, the skin under both of his ears is crusty and smells terrible, and he keeps rubbing and scratching his face on everything. He went swimming in our dirty pool before this started, and I don’t know if I dried him off properly afterward. We also tried to get rid of the smell by giving him a shower and using Pantene 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner because my dad thought he might have ear infections in both ears.

He is currently at the vet with my parents, and I’m really anxious about him because he has always been there for me, especially when I was going through depression and having panic attacks all the time. When he was a puppy, he would sit beside me or rest his chin on my lap whenever I was stressed out.

He was also there for me when I tried to kill myself in September 2025, and he and my best friend helped convince me not to do it. Benson came and sat on my lap while my best friend was on a call with me, and that made me realize that I still had so much to live for. I’m doing much better now, but I raised him from a puppy, and he and I are inseparable. My anxiety is through the roof right now, and I’m extremely worried about him. :(