HOt Spots on my dog

[MAYNARDSMOM]

Anyone had any experience with hot spots on their dog? My maggie has what appears to be hot spots on her belly. Not in the fur, in the bare spot. Been washing with antibacterial sopa & water, drying well & applying Tritop ( an animal ointment). It seems to be spreading some.

Thanks

 

[ImFiddY]

My dog gets them. The vet says he is allergic to fleas and just one can cause the problem. I have to use frontline on him even though I don't like the chemicals. I also have Fungisan Spray - antiseptic germicidal spray that I got at a pet store. It helps calm the spots. If it gets bad you will need to take her to the vet for med's.

 

[Liann]

Tami - I have been battling yeast and bacterial infection on 2 of my dogs for years. I just had them into the vet again (Montana for skin and ear infections and Cheyenne for a weird spot on her back that was turning the skin "dark" and growing). They gave me an ointment for Montana's ear infection and told me to use it on Cheyenne's bump. After about a week, it finally started going away. I'll look up the name when I get home. Cheyenne is like a little radiator anyways, so I'm not sure if the spot actually felt warm or not. Montana had spots all over his tummy and in between his legs. He was put on Prednisone and an Antibiotic. He looks great now. Oh, and they also gave me a spray. I think it was "Malotic" and a shampoo called "Malaseb".

 

[dreamyjeanie]

Years ago my golden ret. had severe hot spots. We used Sulfadin on it. It tastes bad, so they won't lick the area. I think I bought it at Walmart with the pet shampoos. It worked to keep her away from it so it would heal. Although she did get them so bad one time, the vet had to prescribe prednisone.

 

[lovesgrandcayman]

Hi Tami,
My Bichon had bad hot spots for 10 years, especially in the warmer months. Many suggested it may be allergic reaction to flea bites, but she never had fleas (okay, she had them when we got her from the pet store and one flea when she was seven.) People also suggested it may be allergies to weed and grass pollens, so keep her off the grass as much as possible, that didn't make a difference. Many years ago, our vet suggested Benedryll which didn't work, just made her drowsy. And then I tried Sulfodene that I found at a pet store which seemed to give her at least some temporary relief (after application with a cotton ball, she would start beak wiping in circles on the floor). Our vet also gave us Panolog Cream which she licked off quickly. Then recently while searching for my usual Eukanuba dog food at the pet store, I started talking with a pet store clerk and mentioned her hot spot problem and he suggested switching to an all natural dry dog food. Because in the Eukanuba I was currently feeding her, there were many filler ingredients that a dogs body cannot digest which may contribute to her skin irritation. I was very hesitant to switch foods because she has a sensitive stomach. He told me there are many all natural foods to chose from now especially because of the tainted dog food occurence from a few years ago. So, I compared the ingredient lists and chose Prairie. Prairie actually costs almost the same as Eukanuba. (May sound strange, but Priarie smells good too.) So, after three weeks, she was completely switched to all Prairie......And her hot spots.....GONE!. I was amazed and so happy. I am sure she is quite happy too. She used to keep me awake at night licking her hot spots and now she sleeps. I only wish I figured this out a long time ago so she didn't have to suffer.
I hope you find relief for your dog. And when you do, let me know what the culprit was.
Best of luck,
Kelly

 

[cindi1]

My cat is recovering from a hot spot. He is long hair and has been eating Prarie his entire life (he's about 1.5 years old). The vet thought it was caused by stress. We had gone out of town and he stayed with our friends.

Anyway - the vet gave him an antibiotic shot and after a few days, he crusted over and then a few days later that all fell off and now the fur is growing back. She also gave him a fluid injection at the site of the hot spot to help relieve the discomfert and we had to keep him in a baby t-shirt so he couldn't scratch it.

I don't know whether dogs and cats are the same when it comes to hot spots - but our vet said there are many causes of them: heat, fleas, a scratch/trauma, stress were the reasons I can remember.

 

[Jonezie]

Tami...I agree with the previous suggestion of changing food. I feed my Willoughby a wonderful natural (and organic) dog food called Halo...and they make an amazing oil to put in the pup's food to help with overall skin health...it's called Dream Coat. It's really an amazing line!

 

[mspina]

Another vote for looking into a food switch. Do a little research into food allergies for dogs and you'll likely learn a lot. We currently use Innova (all natural, no fillers and no high allergen ingredients such as corn or wheat, which are typically VERY popular ingredients in dog food). I'm seriously considering switching to a totally grain free food (EVO, Orijen, etc.) based on my research, even though Eddie has no issues with Innova. The downside to these brands is that they are pricey and not sold at any chain retailers (generally).

 

[ImFiddY]

My dog is on Innova EVO and still gets hot spots. So it's either a random flea or some type of allergy.