here's a ? about hot spots in dogs...

17 years ago

My poor lab mix dog has hot spots - one particularly large and unsightly on his front leg and a few hot spots? or rash? (not sure) on his belly.

I have used sprays, ointments, talcs, allergy pills, (most approved by vet) and he has had Prednisone and shots but I want to stay clear of that as long as I can.

This one on his leg is driving me crazy with its persistance to flare up right in front of my eyes!

I have gone online and tried it all...gold bond talc, witch hazel, tea bags, tea tree oil, etc.

Any magic potions you got for me to try?????

I am getting highly frustrated!

Thanks ahead of time...nola_anne

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (19)

barbara3
17 years ago
My Golden, sadly now gone, had a hot spot on her forepaw which she licked and chewed on a daily basis. The vet gave me some icky-smelling topical cream to put on it, saying that it tastes so bad that she would stop licking the area. Well, she had a few tentative licks, decided that it really didn't taste too terrible, and licked it all off and then chewed on the hot spot. After all, compared with the "stuff" (if you know what I mean) she ate out in the yard, a little bit of cream wasn't going to put her off.

Then I tried to bandage it. That was just another barrier to overcome. The bandage was off within 5 minutes.

The only thing that really worked was the Prednisone, although I hated giving it to her.

The fellow I have now licks the underside of his paws, although there is no visible sore. The vet says that it is either a contact allergy (grass, carpet, etc.) or boredom. I certainly don't want to go the Prednisone route again, for sure. So, unless it gets sore, I'll just keep an eye on him and keep him busy.

Skin conditions are quite common in many breeds, Labs and Goldens being two of them.
nola_anne
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks Barbara3!

I forgot to mention he has ear problems, too, I am cleaning them only to find them red and dirty again next morning.

I have been preoccupied with family business and have had to leave him for 6 to 7 hrs. at a time a few times a week and since we are almost ALWAYS with him, I was wondering if he was 'stressed' and that was the problem.

He doesn't like it outside...we take him out to play catch and he seems to enjoy it, but them heads for the front door after only a few throws.

He likes to walk, but I think he'd rather go for a ride as do that, too!

He sounds like a lot of the rest of us, eh?

I would like him to have more contact with other dogs, but he seems over zealous when he is in the car or a long distance apart from them, but out and about he shys away from them...go figure?

He's a big baby, but I wouldn't bet on it if I were a stranger...he's never hurt anyone and is a real sweet soul!

I wish I could help him with his ears and hot spots more!

Thanks again...nola_anne
Related Discussions
filling in the bare spots/where to go from here?
Q
Comments (6)
Gobluedjm, the landlady doesn't want to be bothered with fixing anything whatsoever unless it's an immediate emergency (and even then, only grudgingly, often after yelling at us that we ought to just fix things ourselves at our own expense). So unless the flooded yard starts producing toxic mold or something, we're out of luck there. Renee, your patios and paths are gorgeous! I'm not sure it would make sense to create a work of art like that in a rental, though; I might get halfway done creating it and then move out, and it would just be a bother for the landlady to have to remove so many pieces of rock and bricks that never coalesced into a finished pathway. Or even if I finished it, the landlady might still hate it and find it annoyingly difficult to remove. Sue and Renee, I'm definitely interested in improving the drainage ditch, including lengthening it, widening it, possibly deepening it (though deepening it is a bit more difficult) and turning it into a dry stream bed. I need some advice about how to do those things, though. Currently, mud tends to gradually fill in the drainage ditch over time, so I have to re-dig it about twice a year. That would need to stop before I could turn it into a dry streambed, or else the rocks would just end up buried under the mud, and it would be ten times as difficult to re-dig with all the rocks in it. I believe Renee has mentioned something in the past about using plants around the edges of a drainage ditch to hold the dirt in place and prevent the mud from filling it in. I'm interested in doing that, but I'm not quite sure where to start. Should the plants go on the walls of the drainage ditch, or on the flat surface right above the drainage ditch? Does it depend on the plant? I'm especially thinking of trying Carex pregracilis there, but I'm not sure whether to put it on the flat surface or on the walls of the ditch. Currently the drainage ditch is about 12" to 18" deep and 12" to 18" high. It feels like a little bit of a hazard at times, because I've occasionally stepped into it without having realized I was so close to it. I think that making it deeper would make it more dangerous and also more prone to filling with mud, whereas making it wider might make it less dangerous, more useable as a pathway for the dogs, and hopefully less prone to filling with mud. What do you think? I'm aware that the path should ideally be wider. I'm not looking forward to widening it, though, because to widen the path I have to move the drainage ditch over. The only thing more discouraging than digging a drainage ditch through icky clay is trying to move that drainage ditch later - building the soil back up on one side while removing it from the other side. I already had to move it slightly just to fit the path in at all. I'm having a hard time imagining how to fit raised beds into my very naturalistic garden design style. Renee, if you were putting a raised bed made from scrap lumber into my yard, where you place it? Sue's suggestion of berms seems more my style, but I'm not terribly sure where I'd want to put the berms, either. The soil is only very slightly sloped upward near the house as a result of my efforts last year to excavate the existing drainage ditch and mound the excess soil along the house. I want to make sure that any additional berms I might put in would not accidentally redirect the water back toward the foundation of the house again. I don't think I have the dedication to keep plants alive in pots in the summer. I lose too many plants to drought already every summer, even when they're planted directly in the ground. I'm definitely aiming to create the kind of garden where the plants are mostly self-sufficient and, though they might benefit from regular weeding and occasional watering, would not drop dead if I occasionally ignored them for a couple of weeks.
...See More
It is Hot, Hot, Hot Here Today!
Q
Comments (7)
Ilene, Since you're thinking it would be OK if the onions bolted, they'll probably be stubborn and refuse to bolt! (That's the kind of luck I always have, anyway.) I like your rainfall collection tank. I've wanted something like that ever since we visited the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin where they have a massive rainfwater collection/cistern system that is incorporated into all their buildings and is simply amazing. We have 5 ponds, 3 of which we put in here after we built the house, but they haven't had water in them in months. They do catch a lot of rainfall when it actually does rain, but I leave the water in 4 of them for the wild things and the fifth one is "mine" to use to water the veggie garden if needed. That fifth pond is on the northeast corner of my veggie garden and I can pump water out with a small sump pump or can scoop it out with a watering can. This pond is fairly small and holds maybe a thosand gallons so the water doesn't last as long as you'd think. If I had it to do over again, I would have had Elvis (our backhoe guy--you gotta love the name) dig a quarter-acre pond and I would have had him dig it deeper. It is going to be 75 or so here today, so I suspect we'll have fires again like we have the last two days, although maybe we'll get lucky and have calm winds and no fires. I'm not ready for the cold to return. All the fruit tree buds are swelling--even the Mexican plum which tends to be a bit later than the others. I guess the cold will be a good thing because it will slow them down, but I'd still rather be warm. The plum tree that's been in full bloom for days now probably won't set any fruit, or will set it and lose it to the cold, but I'm hoping the other trees will make up for that one. I looked back at my temperature records and noticed that when Feb. is warm, we always have a cold spell around the first week in March, so this cold front that's coming in is right on schedule. Carol, that is a very smart cat. In the afternoon our cats "collect" on the back porch where the greenhouse plastic and the afternoon sun keep the temp about 10-20 degrees higher than it is out in the open. I guess sitting or sleeping in 70-90 degrees on a winter afternoon is pretty appealing to the cats. That porch almost feels "too hot" to me at times. Sometimes I open the french doors that connect that back porch to the breakfast room and let some of the porch's collected hot air flow into the house. Dawn
...See More
Dog with a "hot spot" anyone else?
Q
Comments (17)
Tree Tea Oil......you can get it at a natural food store or pharmacy, maybe any drug store. I googled around and found the Tree Tea Oil idea when I noticed our Golden's first one at age 6. Worked great. It dries it right up, I would put it on a few times a day at first. It did not seem to burn or bother him, and it is not appealing to lick. We had to say good-bye to him last November at 13.5+yo but he had a few more hot spots in his later years. High humidity or staying damp after too many times after swimming seemed to be when he would get them. He had a really thick (beautiful) coat. If you try it, check the bottle opening. Some just pour out (you don't want this) but one main brand has a top that only lets out a drop or two so no chance of pouring out excessive amounts. It is only a few dollars. My bottle is Tea Tree Therapy brand. dark glass bottle, white label with grey/green print with a leaf. It is good for other uses as well but the dog had his own bottle.....
...See More
Hot spots
Q
Comments (18)
Post 1 reply.- Here´s the situation, we don´t know if the dog is allergic to something and we can´t find out until the animal is exposed to the allergen and the allergy manifests, the animal may be allergic to something in the diet, either to the protein source ( animal or vegetable meal ) or to the carbohidrate source ( vegetable flours ), some animals may be allergic to both, the protein source and the vegetable source, why is this ? we don´t know for sure but we do know that certain protein and carbohidrate sources are more allergenic than others, soy ( soy meal ) and corn gluten is known by us as one of the most allergenic protein sources, the same way we know that corn is one of the most allergenic carbohidrate souces, however some animals are allergic to chicken, others are allergic to turkey, others are allegic to certain fish species, others are allergic to several at the same time; the situation here is that most dogs are not allergic to any of them, therefore the food companies manufacture foods for the vast majority of the population, the system is fine but not infalible, I say not infalible because within that population there are individualities, problem arises when you have the bad luck of owning one of those individualities, it´s like purchasing a lottery ticket and winning the lottery. When the generality does not apply to individuals is when you have to find the solution to a problem. In many cases the same companies that manufacture the food offer alternatives to treat those individuals that do not adjust to the general population in the form of special diets with different protein and carbohidrate sources, if that company doesn´t offer them there are other companies that do and if that doesn´t work there are other alternatives, there´s always light at the other end of the tunnel. I´ve been to the Purina facilities and labs in St Louis, not only the test facilties are extraordinary but the degree of professionalism of the people working there in all the departments is overwhelming, they make good quality products. Post 2 reply.- Hot spots represent a particular problem, first the animal has the hotspot reaction, it itches and hurts, the animal licks or scratches, to an already damaged area the animal adds the trauma of licking and/or scratching, since the integrity of the skin is broken then bacteria begin to grow infecting the area, which causes more itching and more pain, more licking, more scratching, more trauma and so on, what started as a very small area in a matter of days it becomes a huge problematic area because it extends; I´ve had cases where they bring me a dog attatched to hot spot, yep, that big is the hot spot. The use of local anesthesics like lidocaine in hot spots is contraindicated. Hot spots have bacteria growing in them, local anesthesics like lidocaine are methabolized by the bacteria and use it to grow. The only local anesthesic is use is ice to make the area numb while the procedure is taking place
...See More
lydia1959
17 years ago
We had a dog who had hot spots. We tried many things to no avail until we started adding PetsAlive to his food. Within weeks he was no longer scratching and started to heal. I'm not sure you can get this in Australia (which is where I think you are), but maybe you can find something similar?

Here is a link that might be useful: PetsAlive
Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
17 years ago
Cornstarch and Gold Bond helped my dog, but she could not get to where her bad spots were (double, triple, fat folds on her neck.....I put it on and it caked up. Then more hair fell out around the spot, and then it started to dry up and heal and hair over.

With the one on the leg, could you dust it well with powder, and then put more powder on a gauze pad/bandage, and then tape it on well with duct tape?...and keep a good one on him that he does not chew it off, while you are home anyway?

Sue
redcurls
17 years ago
We had the best luck when advised to stop feeding anything except dog food and stop all dog treats with artificial coloring. I was a skeptic becuase I liked allowing my dog to finish the milk on my morning cereal...but it worked!
sarahbellum
17 years ago
My chow will usually get at least one hot spot during the summer. I do have a prescription lotion that works within a few days; however, I can't remember what it's called. What also works for my dog at least, is just Neosporin. My vet says that this topical ointment is ok to use on dogs. It also works pretty well, but just not as fast as the prescription one.
mariend
17 years ago
When my DD dog had these and she tried everything, she and her DH tried keeping her out of the sun, along with a change of food. That did help, as the sun actually "burned " her. Like a sunburn and it was not hot as they live right on the ocean.
shellm
17 years ago
Nola Anne,you might try posting this on the pets forum.There is a great vet,named Meghane who checks in frequently.She is extremely helpful,as well as many other posters.One thing that helped my yellow lab who developed them was to keep her shaved in the hotter months.

Shelley
bryansda
17 years ago
barbara3, I have cockers and chewing on the bottom of their paws is a sign, in that breed, of a food allergy. With my first cooker, that poor baby suffered for years doing the chewing and once I got her off food with corn in it the chewing stopped. Like I said this is with cockers, but worth checking out.
nola_anne
Original Author
17 years ago
Wowee...I knew you guys would know how to help with this annoying problem! I jotted down some of the things I haven't tried and I ordered that PetsAlive, too.

I appreciate all your help and ENCOURAGEMENT...I was feeling like a bad 'mommy' that couldn't seem to help my Miles!

Later!
nola anne (I am not the one in Austrailia...I am in Ohio...I think there's another nola on here, though.)
barbara3
17 years ago
Thanks, Bryansda. I feed him Eagle Pack Holistic Lamb and Rice. I must check the ingredients list for corn on the next bag I buy .
daisyinga
17 years ago
You might try some Benadryl. Also, when my dog gets hot spots I use a "bonnet" from the vet to keep him from getting to the hot spots.
susan_on
17 years ago
What the heck are hot spots? You ladies always know things that I don't... LOL!
bryansda
17 years ago
I just read all of the posts and saw the ear problems too. Try feeding some yogurt with your dog's food or giving them acidophilus pills. With my cockers I keep them on one or the other all the time to help keep away ear problems.
jemdandy
17 years ago
Make sure that you are not dealing with "mange". If you dog has mange, it best to get the help of a vetanarian.
cat_ky
17 years ago
Nola anne, if it a true hotspot, the hydrocortisone spray with aloe (Hartz) from Walmart, works great on them. Heals them all in a day or two. I am wondering though, if you have had your dog checked for thyroid problems. Since you have already tried so many things, and most of them should have worked, he could have thyroid problems. Our chow had a similar problem, and nothing worked, until her thyroid was checked, and she was put on meds for that.
whidbeykathy
17 years ago
Our Golden had AWFUL hot spots. We spent a fortune on the vet, cortisone shots, prednisone pills and tests. I put him on a special formula diet, no corn, wheat, chicken or eggs. Nothing ever made them stop coming, I wish I could be more positive for you.
We even had the poor thing wear a Elizabeth Collar for 30 straight days so he would leave them alone. The first day I took it off, he chewed until they bled.
My brother loved my dog so much, he bought a golden and it has the same problems. They haven't been successful either in finding a cure.
Just keep trying, and maybe you'll find something for your dog. I know I sound pessimistic and I am so sorry, I just know what a struggle it is. kathy
Jodi_SoCal
17 years ago
We rescued a Cairn Terrier a number of years ago. By age two Cassie had been through three owners, all of which were frustrated with her skin problems (though we didn't know that going in).

The first time our family vet saw her skin and the hot spots, he told me he would not hold it against me if I chose to put her down. That's how bad it was and it wasn't even in the typical allergy season.

I felt there had to be hope (ha, silly me) and took her to another vet in another city who specialized in thyroid problems and was also knowledgeable in holistics. Many tests and treatments later, Cassie was no better so we went back to our vet who treated her with steroids when the spots got really bad. All the while I tried everything else imaginable (special foods, vitamins, sprays, shampoos, ointments, meds, etc.) to keep it under control because I knew what damage the steroids could do.

Fast forward eight years, Cassie became very, ill and spend a number of days in the hospital. Diagnosis: Pancreatitis.

The vet put her on a prescription low fat dog food. She recovered quickly from the Pancreatitis and much to our extreme delight her skin and hot spots cleared up. She had thick, gorgeous fur on her belly and back for the first time in many, many years.

Jodi-
nola_anne
Original Author
17 years ago
Wow...you all certainly have 'been there, done that'!

I did forget to mention he has ear problems,too, but I keep a close check on that and doesn't seem to be too much of a problem.

He is the love of my life and I want to make sure he is comfortable, painfree and HAPPY!

Thanks...I'll try the Hartz Spray from Walmart (not sure if I tried that one yet) and we HAVE tried all the fancy fat free, corn free, non-allergy, etc. dog foods to no avail...that's what makes me think it is mostly seasonal.

I also have wondered about the thyroid...will have vet check that out next visit which is soon...

Thanks again--KT sure knows how to help out on ANY issue!

nola anne

here's a ? about hot spots in dogs...

Comments (19)

barbara3

nola_anne
Original Author

Related Discussions

lydia1959

Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana

redcurls

sarahbellum

mariend

shellm

bryansda

nola_anne
Original Author

barbara3

daisyinga

susan_on

bryansda

jemdandy

cat_ky

whidbeykathy

Jodi_SoCal

nola_anne
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

here's a ? about hot spots in dogs...

Comments (19)

nola_anneOriginal Author

Related Discussions

nola_anneOriginal Author

nola_anneOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

nola_anne
Original Author

nola_anne
Original Author

nola_anne
Original Author