Dog "Hot Spots"
Recently, it seems like my dog is at the doctor more then I am. As a dog owner, you not only learn all about behavior, but you learn about dog health conditions. Unfortunately, I had to learn about dog "hot spots."
Dog hot spots are a result of a skin condition officially called pyotraumatic dermatitis. It is a bacterial infection that develops and rapidly spreads in the skin. Hot spots are painful to the dog, can emit pus and smell badly. Hair loss from around the infected area is common. Because dog hot spots are so painful and irritating many dogs will bite and scratch the area causing the infection to spread.
Although hot spots are most common in dogs with thick coats, they can occur in any breed. A common cause for hot spots is moisture getting caught next to the dog's skin, making an ideal spot for an infection to start. Moisture can become trapped by matted fur, a dog collar, or simply thick fur. Many times chronic dog hot spots stem from an allergic condition (which is most likely the case in my pup). Though some dogs are simply more prone to hot spots than others.
It is best to treat hot spots quickly to prevent further spreading of the infection, and for the relief of your dog. Also, some dogs will scratch at a hot spot to the point of breaking the skin. This makes the condition even more painful, and provides the opportunity for a more serious infection to occur.
As for the source of Rocco's condition? We know he has seasonal allergies. Plus, recently, someone bought our dog some generic "commercial" dog treats as a gift. Since we normally feed him so-called premium treats, it's possible that he has food allergies and the generic dog treats caused him to break out with the hot spot. That, combined with having thick fur, could be the cause. Hopefully, this will be the last time we have to worry about hot spots.
dog hot spots, allergies,
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15 comments:
Poor Rocco! I hope he's feeling better.
Thanks!
Good luck with the hot spots. It can be a real battle to get rid of them. I hope Rocco's feeling better soon.
Hey Rocco,
You're such a pretty pet. Don't you worry, you're gonna be fine very soon. Just be good, eat properly, don't scratch any hot spot and be happy. Wishing you a speedy recovery once again. Take care.
Thanks....ruff....rufff...ruffff (tail wagging and jumping up for you to pet me).
-Rocco
Oh the insanity of "hot spots". Half the Internet says that 'meddling and loading them down with ointments can make them worse', while the other half says 'the sooner you treat them, the better'. All say go to the vet, but who can afford $300.00 pet bills? I'm doing enough keeping the electricity on and keeping food in the dog's belly.
And if that isn't bad enough, there's about 75 different things suggested to put on a hot spot, from tea bags to peroxide to flea powder. I expect yet to find someone suggesting hot butter and marmalade, and strapping two slices of bread to the dog..........
I know what you mean. Our vet said to just keep the area clean and use the perscribed anti-biotics.
Many, many articles talk about hot spots on dogs..... but then they say practically nothing about what to do about them.
Surely this is one of those few instances where you DONT have to pay for a professional vet.
I mean its not surgery or rocket science- clean it, put some ointment on it that kills the bacteria. But what?????
I read two articles, one says "I tried everthing, but peroxoide did the trick" and another said "unfortunately I used peroxide, which made it worse......."
Some talk about apple cider vinegar as the miracle cure, calling it by the cute name, ACV. They even put it in the dog's water, claiming the acidic balance cures the spots.
Some say "alleviate it with aloe" while others say "keep it dry".
I'm beginning to think it is like curing baldness!
How about 'Shout'? if the dog is small enough, use the rinse cycle ;)
We asked our vet if we could just get a perscription for it, but of course, we had to bring the dog in just to "make sure." I've been searching around for a home remedy in case it comes back, but right now he's on antibiotics, so who knows.
Last summer out English Springer Spaniel, Apollo, developed a hot spot. We would not have noticed it if our Cocker Spaniel, Maxwell, had not been following him around all day sniffing and licking it. Well, we took him to the vet and she prescribed some Gentocin. It healed completely after nearly two weeks. We have some left over in the event it recurs. Something unusual always happens when we take a vacation and leave them at the kennel. Maxwell now has a pulled muscle after returning from this kennel this summer. Needless to say, we are in search of a new kennel. Good luck with Rocco.
Thanks to everyone for their support. I'm happy to report that the hot spots are cleared up and Rocco's doing well.
I'm a bit late with the post, however this is something we are currently dealing with. We left for a 5 day vacation and when we returned our dear dog "child" had licked and scratched himself a great big "hotspot". It looked absolutely horrible. I believe he was just very depressed about being left behind and spent his time licking and scratching- he normally goes everywhere with us but we were worried about him being out in the heat since he was diagnosed with a UTI just a few weeks prior. Well I can say, lesson learned....we will be taking him with us from now on and hopefully he never has to suffer with this condition again. I can only imagine how painful this is and I feel so sorry for him.
Glad to hear that Rocco has recovered and hopefully in just a week or so our dear Bo will be back to his old self again.
Hey, some really good info here. I've learned a lot.
Author of How To Choose The Best Pet Collar?
You'll find zoonOx is very effective for what you are looking for. We keep two cans around the house. One for our two dogs, and one for my wife. Dog hot spots are gone in less than a week. Even the nasty recurring ones we see with our goldens, The high oxygen content is one of the best anti acne creams out there. My wife swears by it.
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