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Constant itching and hotspots

4K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  DShea 
#1 ·
i need some suggestions. my dog is 1 1/2 now and has all ways been itching him self pretty much his whole life but now its become a constant problem with hot spots and just chewing himself when ever he can. ive been doing alot of reserching on this fourm and ive have learned alot! so im thinking it is caused by an allergy. i took him to the vet for his hot spots witch was probalby when he was 7 months old and he gave me Neo-Predef (white powder stuff) to put on the wounds, so ive been using that when he had developed more hot spots.

so i was feeding him royal canine early in his life till about 13 months. then switched to Fromms gold in the blue bag for about 3 months and still no change of how he was itching. then im currently no on Zignature trout and samon grain free and still no change for itching and bitting himself. mostly at his behind/rear thigh area, rear ankles, ears, and licking his front paws from time to time.

so im kinda at a loss...is my next step raw food?

and the current meds he is on is the heartgaurd and front line topical. i was reading about this Comfortis flea med in a pill form, im not sure if i should give that a shot or not.

im open to all suggestions and i will answer all questions to the best of my knowledge. thanks

 
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#5 ·
My dog used to get hotspots.

I used to wash the with iodine and it worked but they came back in other areas.

But I started using neem oil and this last summer he got no hot spots what so ever. And a really hot summer and the dog is swimming every day.

I was mixing it with olive oil and rubbing on the dog every week to make sure no fleas or ticks would get on him, and there was no hot spots as well.

I also recently started going 50/50 raw/kibble. More improvements in health. Teeth are really clean and he used to have a slight temperature and now nose and ears are always nice and cool. Also poops are proper now too, used to be soft and frequent on kibble only.
 
#6 ·
Try the comfortis. My dog Penny was on frontline or advantix and I couldnt find a flea, yet she itched and scratched and chewed and broke out. . .she was a mess. A vet suggested we try comfortis for flea allergy and it worked wonderful!! A flea allergic dog just has to have 1 bite for them to react. Try it. In the meantime, give a cool water bath, it could be medicated it you think bacteria and yeast are on the skin from the scratching, and use gold bond powder on the hotspots to dry them up.
 
#7 ·
Madlab, was your dog just getting hot spots because of beeing in the water? was he/she itching and sctatching too?

ok i set up an appt with my vet on thursday too see what he suggest. i will keep neem oil and comfortis in mind. im hoping this will be resoved quickly! my dog Mako always has a cone on his head when ever im not at the house so he can bit him self
 
#8 ·
Hi there!

I was hoping to hop on your thread and see if we can both get some answers together...seems we are pretty close geographically and have similar issues! Our girl Stella is about 5 y/o, we adopted her in the spring of 2012 and found her to have some trouble with itching/hot spots and switched to grain free/LID and all was well with the exception of occasional moments of itchiness...however this fall she started getting itchy and has been a wreck since...we keep going to the vet, doing round after round of steroids/antibiotics and baths and it clears for a few days then starts again...we did just toss in the towel and decide to try to raw route because I seriously cannot handle her being so uncomfortable...we've also been adding coconut oil...
 
#10 ·
Madlab, was your dog just getting hot spots because of beeing in the water? was he/she itching and scratching too?
I don't know. People say they are due to the dogs skin being damp. Maybe they are due to some fungal or bacterial infection.

My dog got them mainly on his neck and back. He also got some on the base of his tail and on his side which he did scratch and bite until bloody.

Neem works as a anti fungal, bacterial, viral and stops pests and is good for skin and hair. So it is covering all angles.

IMO too much synthetic medication is bad for a dogs natural defense system and should be avoided. It is possible to find alternatives in nature. But people and vets love medication so they can feel they are doing whats best for the animal.

I think diet is important since i seen a change in my dogs from going 50/50 raw.
 
#11 ·
Undiagnosed sarcoptic mange can also be an issue.
I prefer frontline spray. Treat, then again in 2-4 weeks.
This will take care of mange and/or fleas (on the dog). As another poster said, a dog with flea allergies can be affected by 1 single flea. You may never see it but the dog will. So consider the home and yard when treating.

Food allergies are possible. If that is the case then a better quality food may not make a difference. You need a novel protein. Something the dog has never had before. Like Kangaroo or duck. You would want to stay on that food for 6 weeks. No other treats except that protein.

And of course it could be environmental. Soap/shampoo. Plants, grass. An allergy panel may be helpful at that point.
 
#12 ·
well i got back from the vet thursday, and Mako has an infection in his anal glands and found no fleas or ticks on him. My vet came me some medication for the hot spots (Cephalexin pills, and quadritop apply on hotspot) also gave me Prednisone 10mg.

i had to send at stool sample to see if any parisites are in his intestines, may be related to his anal infection? im not sure. since ive been back from the vet thursday Mako has not itched one bit! im not sure if its the prednisone pill or what...

also i cannot do an allergy test yet untill all medication is complete, i guess it will give me mixed results.But my vet has recomended me switching food to Hill's prescription diet z/d ultra allergen free. any thoughts on this food? and sentinal flea medication?

i wont be back for an update till next thursday, going on vacation and mako will be comming with me :)

 
#16 ·
well i got back from the vet thursday, and Mako has an infection in his anal glands and found no fleas or ticks on him. My vet came me some medication for the hot spots (Cephalexin pills, and quadritop apply on hotspot) also gave me Prednisone 10mg.

i had to send at stool sample to see if any parisites are in his intestines, may be related to his anal infection? im not sure. since ive been back from the vet thursday Mako has not itched one bit! im not sure if its the prednisone pill or what...

also i cannot do an allergy test yet untill all medication is complete, i guess it will give me mixed results.But my vet has recomended me switching food to Hill's prescription diet z/d ultra allergen free. any thoughts on this food? and sentinal flea medication?

i wont be back for an update till next thursday, going on vacation and mako will be comming with me :)

The 5th ingredient is sawdust (powdered cellulose)!:eek: Here is an article about Allergen-Free food: The Problem with Allergen-Free Pet Food

IMHO, I would not use a topical and add more chemicals to your dogs fragile immune system.

Hope your baby gets better.
Moms:)
 
#13 ·
is it necessary to give him any flea preventative? I would try to NOT use any type of flea meds on him, he may be allergic to 'that'.

I'm not a fan of SD food, but if it works go for it.

I use Vetericyn for 'everything', hot spots, sores, itchiness..

Hoping he can get some relief..the poor thing, that sore looks nasty:(
 
#14 ·
Benadryl for the licking of the paws..its generally hayfever. Coconut oil on the hot spots. One of my dogs just started itching consistently recently..I thought fleas to, but it turned out to be dry skin. Gave him an oatmeal//green tea leaf bath and that helped tremendously. I also don't give him any flea medications during the winter.
 
#15 ·
We seem to be having the same issue here. My pup is on z/d ultra and she loves it, however; it doesn't do anything for her itching:( We did raw for a while and she was never better, except she had stomach issues with it. We are altering the diet so hopefully that works. I know the price of the prescription food you are looking at and it is insane. We are trying to get prednisone as well but the vet is giving us the run around on that one. I would suggest a good raw diet.You can find some great dog food stores that have it all made and ready to eat or make it yourself. We just buy chickens from the store, added some organ meats, some fish and fish oils, the right veggies with it and throw it all in a food processor. Separate it into servings and freeze. Couldn't be easier. Hope your vacation was good and I really hope your pup is feeling better soon, I know how crappy the itching is.
 
#17 ·
ok back for an update. My vet called me a few days ago and told me that Mako's stool sample tested negative, so thats good. Mako is doing great, not itching at all really but its the medication that im giving him. only have a few pills left....so i guess this is only temporary, but i did catch him licking his hotspot once over the weekend. the hotspot is greatly reduced in size and almost healed.

thanks for all your responses! i will stop the flea topical and see if i notice anything, also i will try to bath him every weekend. I will try the z/d ultra dog food for 3 months as well...i know some of you are against it, but im just going to try what my vet is recommending.

i should be going to the vet sometime next week for a check up
 
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