BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?

Subject: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: GUEST,Desdemona
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 10:42 AM

My doggie has developed a red, abraded area underneath her collar; my son discovered it yesterday while playing with her. It has an angry area that looks like the site of some sort of abrasion, and the skin around it is red as well. I've called the vet, who said it sounded like a "hot spot", and I'll be taking her in this afternoon. I looked up these hot spots online, and it sounds relatively common & easily treatable, but it sure looks nasty (although I'm glad to say it doesn't seem to be bothering her, she's just running around the house "naked"--ie, no collar!--til her appointment).

Have any of the dog owners here had experience with this, and if so would you be kind enough to share with a nervous and concerned Dog Mummy?

Many thanks!

~D

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 10:49 AM

oral benedryl and topical aloe for the most part. Check the collar for irritants and do a good flea bath first. You may not think you have fleas but I can't tell you how much just one flea bite can cause so many problems!

Good flea bath
Tea tree rinse/shampoo
topical aloe
oral benedryl

Should do the trick.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: GUEST,Desdemona
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 11:48 AM

How do you get the dog to take the Benadryl (and does it make them sleepy[er])?!

~D

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 12:21 PM

Use a pill form....hold upper lip over teeth, force mouth open. Poke pill way in back of throat, hold mouth closed til dog swallows.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 12:25 PM

Hot spots can result from a hereditary neurological condition in some dogs. Believe it or not, vets perscribe Prozax (probably under a different brand name) with pretty good results.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 12:26 PM

Er, Prozac, i.e. fluoxetine. The above was a typo.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: SINSULL
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 12:30 PM

My brother's dog had a reaction like that to a flea collar. It took forever to clear up.

Can you put a chain collar on so that the dog has his tags on?

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 12:53 PM

Refer at once to the geek in Boston torturing dachshunds thread! There may be a connection here.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: GUEST,Desdemona
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 01:29 PM

BWAH! My dog is a sweet, darling beagle & Jack Russell mix, and so far is she from being tortured that she sits enthroned in splendour (at least metaphorically speaking...sort of) at the very center of our family's affections, a position she clearly feels is no more than what's due her!

She's 4 years old and has never had anything like this; I'm inclined to think that this thing started as an abrasion from her collar. I'm just glad my son noticed it when he did, before it got any worse. As I say, it doesn't seem to be causing her any discomfort, but I'll be glad to see it go away.

Guest's comment above about the Prozac reminded me of something I saw on one of the web-sites I consulted this morning, viz. that some dogs cause them by what they described as "neurotic" behaviour (possibly brought about by boredom), such as incessantly nibbling or scratching at themselves...interesting, no?

~D

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 01:37 PM

Dachshunds frequently suffer from ithcy hind ends and can exacerbate the problem severely by the neurotic nibbling behaviour you allude to, Desdemona. It's a vicious circle, I'm afraid. Once the dog starts, he is unlikely to stop, and the itching only gets worse. Birds sometimes start plucking their feathers out for much the same reason, and the results can be horrifying. I saw an African grey parrot who had rendered himself virtually bald from the neck down due to this habit.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Scoville
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 01:38 PM

Hot spots are usually irritated skin + skin infection, often staph, but don't panic because I've never heard of anyone catching staph from their dog. I was a vet tech for four years and cleaned up hot-spots literally every day. They're extremely common in hot, humid climates.

Benadryl either helps the itchng or makes the dog too sleepy to scratch, depending on who you ask (slip a pill in a treat). Sometimes the vet will prescribe antibiotic pills and/or an antiseptic wash to help get the skin infection under control.

Luckily, since this is new to you, it sounds like your dog doesn't have a chronic problem with it. We see a lot of recurrent hot-spots related to pollen and flea allergies here in SE Texas, Allergen Capitol U.S.A. Sometimes the dog gets to itching and the more he scratches, the more irritated the skin gets until he has a disgusting little infection.

The skin mostly needs to be kept clean, dry, and air-circulated. Be sure the rest of the dog is clean and flea-free, although flea allergy hot-spots often occur on the butt instead of the neck so hopefully it's not that. If she's already not scratching it should clear up pretty fast.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: KateG
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 01:48 PM

Hot spots can also be an allergic reaction to something in the dog's food, bedding or environment (pollen, fleas etc.). My old rottie use to get them badly. Vet recommended Benedryl which eased the symptoms but did nothing for the cause and I couldn't see keeping him on it long-term. A friend suggested that I switch to a dogfood without soy, because that had caused problems for her son's dog. On a what the hell, that's a cheap fix basis I gave it a try. Problem went away in about 2 days, and never came back. Soy may not be your specific problem, there are other ingredients and contaminants that may be the culprit. But I would recommend feeding a low allergen food, preferably one made with human-grade ingredients. A small bag won't break the bank, and can give you a handle on one possible source of irritation.

Note: the more you learn about supermarket dogfood the more revolting it gets: feathers, grain, contaminated meat...nothing that should be fed to anybody or anything. The premium human-grade food may be more expensive per bag, but it costs far less per serving (you only need about 1/3rd as much) and in pays in terms of lower vet bills too.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 02:06 PM

On my pit bull I need to replace the heavy-duty plastic collar supplied by the Invisible Fence folks with a nylon or heavy cotton/polyester collar. She has a hot spot on her neck from the plastic, probably compounded by this hot weather and her frequent dips in the wading pool out back, but the vet also found a few other spots on her, so he thinks she tends to have a skin infection that pops up every so often.

For various organic tips to treat your dog and its environment visit The Dirt Doctor. He is into everything organic and there is a lot of research behind the advice given out in this kind of organic setting.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Scoville
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 02:17 PM

Just to warn you, as KateG said, it can be food allergies, too. If it keeps coming back, vet may want to do a food trial or at least put her on a specialty food.

Our old do had bad inhalant allergies (pollen, molds, etc.) and mild food allergies. He cleared up quite a bit on high-grade food.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: GUEST,Desdemona
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 02:30 PM

Thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it! I don't think it's her diet, although KateG's comments about the dog food certainly give me pause. The mention of inhalant allergies makes me wonder, though; we live in Massachusetts, and have been enduring an extremely bad year for seasonal allergies like pollen and--with all the rain we've been having--molds. I developed a sinus infection & wound up on prescription antihistamines for a while, and we've noticed that Lucy (our dog) has had runny eyes on a pretty regular basis. It doesn't seem to be bothering her, but they just get sort of teary, which is just how *mine* have been, so I wonder about the possibilities in terms of us having adverse reactions to the same allergens?

~D

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: gnu
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 03:13 PM

Beagle + Russel = Regal Bussel. Perhaps a new breed is in the offing?

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Metchosin
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 03:14 PM

Hot spots can be entirely diet related in those breeds predisposed. Both our Westies cannot eat products containing wheat or beef, even the smallest amount. The vet advised a base diet of lamb and rice and they haven't had any itchy skin problems in years.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Scoville
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 03:33 PM

Generally--GENERALLY--but not always:

flea allergies: base of tail

food allergies: ear infections (American cocker spaniels are notorious for this since they are both food-sensitive and ear-infection prone)

inhalant allergies: skin infections

Food and inhalants are probably your most likely bets. Or possibly a case of an isolated irritant (burr under her collar, etc.) Our first dog used to chew holes in his legs because of his inhalant allergies, but he did it chronically, every single year.

Whatever it is, I hope it clears up fast.

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: GUEST,Desdemona
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 05:13 PM

Well, we're back from the vet, and Scoville called it: some undetermined irritant under her collar, exacerbated by the recent torrentially rainy conditions (ie, damp environment), ultimately causing the yuckiness. She shaved the immediate area, instructed me to clean it with hydrogen peroxide twice a day, followed by antibiotic ointment, and 25mg of Benadryl administered orally twice a day (first dose was taken VERY easily when embedded in a small wodge of Stilton; Lucy is a cheese-loving dog who lives for her occasional morsels!).

I could have saved myself the vet's fee & just listened to you all; thanks so very much for the advice AND the support, it's good to "talk" to other dog-minded people!

Cheers,

~D

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Jun 06 - 04:18 PM

Even if your dog is healthy it doesn't hurt to put him/her on a good quality diet without preservatives and minus those ingredients that cause allergies (the beef/wheat connection, for example). I note that places like PetSmart have a brand or two that promote themselves as extra healthy--read the label and see. My dogs get a brand available at feed stores and garden centers in Texas and Oklahoma (I'm not sure how much wider it is distributed) called Muenster's Natural. It has some of the trace ingredients that seem to contribute distinctly to good health (diatomaceous earth, for example).

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Jun 06 - 04:36 PM

You want me to feed my dogs worm poop? LOL!!

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: bobad
Date: 13 Jun 06 - 06:56 PM

Sorcha FYI

Diatomaceous Earth is a natural occurring siliceous sedimentary mineral compound from microscopic skeletal remains of unicellular algae-like plants called diatoms. These plants have been part of the earth's ecology since prehistoric times. Diatoms are basic to the oceanic cycle, and the food for minute animal life which in turn becomes the food for higher forms of marine life. As living plants, diatoms weave microscopic shells from the silica they extract from the water, then as they die, deposits are formed and then fossilized in what are now dried lake and ocean beds. The material is then mined, ground and screened to various grades, for the countless uses in today's products and processes, from toothpaste to cigars, plastics to paprika, filter media in swimming pools to home fish tanks, as well as insect and parasite control in animals and grains.

Diatomaceous Earth is a natural (not calcined or flux calcined) compound with many elements which include:

Silicon Dioxide         SiO2         83.7%
Aluminum Oxide         A1203         5.6%
Iron Oxide         Fe203         2.3%
Calcium Oxide         CaO         0.4%
Magnesium Oxide         MgO         0.3%
Other Oxides                 1.9%
Ignition Loss at 1000                 5.3%

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Jun 06 - 10:08 AM

Not all of their pet foods are free of preservatives, but these are:

Muenster Dog and Cat food general information.

Dog food ingredients.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: 'Hot spots' in dogs; any advice?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 14 Jun 06 - 10:13 AM

No, Desdemona, you were right to go to the vet. By the time you weeded out all the possibilities, your dog might have got in very bad shape.

I agree with those who recommend premium food. I feed my cats Science Diet or Eukanuba foods. It costs more per pound, but less of it is needed to satisfy them Also, their boxes are far less stinky because supermarket cat food contains cheap, irritating ingredients which cause something like low-grade diahrrea.