Let me preface this by saying I'm trying to find a vet, but none of the offices I've called thus far have any openings.
We've had Juno for a bit over a month now, and she's always had a small spot of matted fur on her side. I assumed she rolled in something at the kennels and decided it could wait until she was calm enough to be given a bath. In the weeks since, I've been brushing her a few times a week with her hound glove and haven't noticed anything new. Yesterday, we were playing in the yard and she leaned against me for attention, and I noticed that the matted fur looked different. The skin under it was red and looked tender, and while it's not weeping profusely, it did seem as though there was a bit of fluid. I looked at the area around the spot, and there was more matted fur and more tender, red areas. It's almost like there's some substance at the root of the hair clumping it together. Even more concerningly, some of the hair is falling out. The rescue said it could be a reaction to her vaccinations, and some of my (non-greyhound-owning) friends have said it might be a hot spot. She's not off her food, she's as energetic and affectionate as always, she doesn't even seem to be too worried about the spot, herself. I can't think of anything new that she's eating, either.
Until we can get her to the vet, how can I make her more comfortable? I've been gently dabbing it with cool water (she doesn't like it, but she'll let me) and a gentle homemade saline solution. I tried to trim the hair, but she was not wild about that. Does anyone have any ideas what it could be?