Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My dog was diagnosed with hot spots today. He has two 3" in diameter spots that have been shaved, anti-itch creme applied today, put on antibiotic and recommended antihistimines. Is there a natural approach to this?

Thanks,

Kelly

Hotspots are usually caused by allergies where the dog constantly licks or scratches in one spot. I would recommend trying to find the cause of the allergy... whether it's food related or an airborne allergen. With the heat being turned on in the houses now because of the colder weather this to can cause dry itching skin. I've been a big fan of DermCaps for years. They are a fish oil supplement rich in Omega 3&6 and work to keep the skin and coat in good condition.
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If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.

Have you posted to Dr. Tobin's forum? If not, do. He knows. Try some flax oil in the dog's food. Actually I've been using hemp oil lately, but flax is great for skin problems (and cheaper than hemp oil). I even use it on my son's and my eczema and it is *wonderful*. Also try homemade food or a really good brand of commercial food if you're not already... Before my dogs went vegan (no flaming, anyone!), they would kill for Merrick Turducken. You could also try using the flax oil externally. My son and I put some in our food and some directly on our skin, and it is a lot better. Um.... something else, but I can't think of it at the moment. I'm going to go get a snack, maybe then I'll remember. I know skin issues are a pain in the... you know. My older girl Lucy has discoid lupus and it is a constant struggle to keep it under control.

Here's Fancy the beagle, "tricolor and nerdy", just because.

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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rats- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, Norbert, and baby Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, Schubert, Bartok, Rasputin, Johann, Chaminade, Dorothy, Glenda, and Em, and the *adorable* winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey

Thanks for the input...I will try to find out what he is allergic to and most likely switch his food. But, for right now, any ideas on how to stop the itching? It is a real chore to keep him from licking his spots.

Thanks again!

Kelly

>>Thanks for the input...I will try to find out what he is allergic to and most likely switch his food. But, for right now, any ideas on how to stop the itching? It is a real chore to keep him from licking his spots.
>>
>>Thanks again!
>>
>>Kelly

Fleas are the single biggest cause of these types of skin problems, so make sure you're using a flea product from the veterinarian. Stuff you buy elsewhere can be dangerous, ineffective, or both!

Two things that can work on the hot spots are apple cidar vinegar, just applied by rubbing on with tissue or paper towel, or a paste of a dog shampoo containing coal tar that you get from your veterinarian. You can bathe the dog with it, of course. But when you want to treat a spot, you can make a paste of it, apply for 10 minutes, and then THOROUGHLY rinse. Never let a dog lick it.

But with two spots that are 3 inches in diameter, the dog does need medication now, because these can go into deep and even body-wide infections. You might even need to use an Elizabethan collar to protect the areas from the dog licking/chewing on them. Your veterinarian can help you with one of those.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

Thank you for your reply, Kathy. Will the apple cider vinegar stop the itch? He is on antibiotics and I am watching him carefully. He is not "chewing" anymore but licking. I stop him when I see him do it. I will take him to a doggie allergist to see just exactly what he is allergic to. I have had him for 7 years and he has always had allergies but never hot spots.

Thanks again,

Kelly

>>Thank you for your reply, Kathy. Will the apple cider vinegar stop the itch? He is on antibiotics and I am watching him carefully. He is not "chewing" anymore but licking. I stop him when I see him do it. I will take him to a doggie allergist to see just exactly what he is allergic to. I have had him for 7 years and he has always had allergies but never hot spots.
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>>Thanks again,
>>
>>Kelly

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The apple cidar vinegar helps in various ways, I think. Used on my own skin a few times, I noticed it did stop the itch, yes. On the dogs, I've seen it clear up scabs and also clear up those little white blisters before the dog chews them into scabs. My vet says there is anti-bacterial effect, and possibly also some drying effect. I asked him about it when I decided to try it. It really does a great job on some skin things.

Since your dog has known skin allergies, be sure to have your vet do the thyroid blood tests for Free T4 by equilibrium dialysis, Total T4, and TSH, and send to one of the OFA approved laboratories, listed at www.offa.org. Dogs with low thyroid tend to really show symptoms around that age, and it affects skin and immunity (hot spots are infections), as well as a lot of other bodily functions. If that's the problem, getting her on simple thyroid hormone will change her life--and yours.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series articles at http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=SRC&S=1&SourceID=47

I have read so much about ACV, but never that it can help with itching... wonderful stuff!! Think it'd be good for eczema? My son and I both have it, and we always have ACV around for various things.

I forgot what I posted earlier... hopefully not this same thing!! EFA's are wonderful for skin issues. My dogs take organic hemp oil, which has 3's and 6's. My son and I take it internally for our eczema, and externally as well. It is much better (still itches a bit, but I will see how the ACV works for that!).
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Kadee Sedtal
home of old lady Lucy (boxer/lab/garbage disposal), pretty girl Fancy (beagle), the rats- Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Pachebel, Fillmore, Norbert, and baby Franz, the mice- Vivaldi, Brahms, Schubert, Bartok, Rasputin, Johann, Chaminade, Dorothy, Glenda, and Em, and the *adorable* winter white dwarf hamster- Feather
"I wish I had a dollar for every time I spent a dollar, because then, yahoo! I'd have all my money back." -Jack Handey