[MidnightOil-Two]

Our 5 year old GSD had two hot spots for the first time ever. We noted the hair loss and open sores and took him immediately to the vet. He was prescribed an antibiotic, a steroid and a spray. The antibiotic had a 20 day 2/day schedule and he is still within the intial 20 day period. The vet said that she is seeing a great deal of this affliction this year as we had a very cool spring and dogs did not shed properly. We have done two a day brushings since then and I believe we have completely removed his winter coat. Next year we will watch more closely to ensure he completely sheds his coat.

He has not been "himself" for this entire period. He has been lethargic and not interested in playing. On the day we took him into the vet, he exhibited a great deal of pain so we put it down to recovery time and trauma.

Today we noticed that while the open sores have healed, there is a very large area of white skin interspersed with MANY red 'spots' on the shaved skin and going from there down into his groin area.

I am at a loss as to what this might be and again, while he does have a reasonable appetite he is not ravenous and remains subdued.

HELP!!

Also, we are at our cottage and he usually is in/out of the water at will. He stands in the water to cool off. The vet said that part of the problem is him not properly drying so we are making sure he lies on towels and that we run our hands through his fur regularly to facilitate drying. Should we be keeping him out of the water? This is deep lake water, clear and of excellent quality so we are not worried about any bacteria / algae / etc. in this lake

Thanks for any information anyone can give.

Donna

 

[JakodaCD OA]

The water if it's clean is probably soothing.

I use Vetericyn for "EVERYTHING",,works great is a bacteria killer,

I do agree, with a double coated dog, (my aussies are the same way),,when they get wet, it takes a long time for them to dry, especially going from water to my AC in the house, so I towel dry them best I can, or blow them off with the blower..

That water / wetness can stay trapped in the undercoat creates a moist area,,sometimes leads to hot spots..

 

[Mary Beth]

I agree also that the clean cool lake water would be soothing. Like Diane suggested you may want to use a dryer in addition to the towel drying. If you don't have a dog dryer, I did use my hair dryer but on the low setting and kept brushing also like you wold blow dry your hair. Also, skin issues take a while to heal up, and though you took him into the vet right away, there is still the 20 period to get through. The antibiotic probably killed off the weaker bacteria first, but now the tougher guys are rebounding back which I think is why you notice the redness. I would give HomeoPet Skin & Itch drops - I use that for my Sting and there are no side affects and it will not interfere with the medication. It seems to help the healing.

 

[LoveEcho]

The lake water is brutal on the skin if he swims a lot-- my boy had this problem very frequently when he was swimming every day. The undercoat doesn't dry completely, so it chafes (he usually got them in his groin area). I second the veterycin... upon Diane's suggestion, actually, I picked some up and it worked very well for healing the open, oozing sores. I've also had VERY good luck with coconut oil, and swear by it for skin irritations. I actually started using coconut oil on the irritated areas before we took him swimming... it may have all been in my head but I think it made a nice barrier from the wetness.

 

[Courtney]

Although unsightly looking it helps if the hot spot areas are shaved.

 

[Momto2GSDs]

Good advice from Mary Beth about the Homeopathic, Skin & Itch by HomeoPet! Some holistic vets don't agree with giving steroids, cortisone or prednisone as it will suppress the immune system. Although it's a quick fix for hot spot relief (inflammation, itching etc), it doesn't get to the root of the underlying problem. So this remedy can help heal from the inside out!
Courtney's suggestion about shaving the area (needs air to heal) and LoveEcho's advice on using coconut oil (this isn’t a thick paste, and will allow the skin to breath) is great too!
Below are some other things you can try! Hope you have success while vacationing!

Topicals:
*Colloidal Silver: will help with healing and possible infection. Found in a health food store
*Lavendar Essential Oil: This is a great one! . It is calming, healing, antibacterial, and analgesic. Put about 5-10 drops of lavender essential oil in about 1/2 cup of purified water, put into a spray bottle or dab on with cotton about 5 times a day.
*Aloe Vera: An anti-bacterial - Use sparingly as this can be drying to the affected area. Choose a good quality product or the percentage of Aloe Vera contained in the product may be very low. Adulteration and mis-branding is very common. Look for the IASC (International Aloe Science Counsil) certification stamp.
*Calendula (non-alcohol) liquid spray: An antiseptic made from the Marigold flower: Helps ease the pain and sooth the area.
*Black Tea: Steep a few “black tea” bags (like Lipton): Let cool. Put liquid in a sterilized spray bottle to spray on spot and use cool teabag as a compress. This will promote healing and draw out inflammation.
*Apple Cider Vinegar: I like the organic one from the health food store, but grocery store ACV will work ok too. Put in a sterilized spray bottle. You can use full strength if skin is not broken, but if is broken dilute it half and half or it will burn.

Homeopathics: Choose the remedy that matches the hot spot. Purchase from a health food store (not a GNC). You can get a small vial for about $6. The SKIN & ITCH does have some of these ingredients, so do not repeat when using it.
*Graphites 30 c: ozzes a sticky yellow discharge like honey. Could also be a cracked scab. Mostly in bends of limb or folds of skin.
*Mercurius 30 c: if a greenish/yellowish discharge, possible yellow scab. May be infected.
*Belladonna 30c:will appear and grow almost instantly and violently, such as overnight and the skin will be bright red possibly glistening.
*Hepar Sulphuris Calcareum: Moist eruptions in skin folds, with discharge. The discharge tends to be foul smelling and the sores are intensely painful.
*Rhus Tox 30c: Like a rash from poison ivy, the hot spot will be red and very itchy (rather than pain) with a pimpled rash-like appearance. There will be swelling and the hot spot will be hardened.
*Apis 30c: Will be shiny and swollen with a red or white in color. Dog will be sensitive in this are similar to a bad bee sting.


To administer homeopathic’s, dissolve 4 pellets in 1 tsp. purified water (if pellets, they take a while to dissolve) and drizzle on gums. Give away from food and water 30 minutes. Repeat in 1/2 hour and evaluate. Can be repeated every ½ hour several times if severe but lessen intervals if improvement is seen. If there is improvement after the first day, you can give 4 times in a day until healed. If improvement is NOT seen, select another remedy.

 

[MidnightOil-Two]

I am surprised that so few people had something to offer by way of assistance on the issue of Hot Spots. I was assured that this was a common GSD problem. I shall continue my search elsewhere. Thanks to those who did take the time to reply.

Donna

 

[Zeus_GSD]

My almost three year old GSD developed a hot spot last evening in a two hour span. We live close to a canal and on hot days he often goes in to cool himself off. I've trimmed the hair and tried my best to disinfect it and keep it dry, but was very raw, bloody and sensitive to touch. I've used peroxide mixed with water and a mix between aloe (directly from plant) and polysporin. I've read that both hydrogen peroxide and ointment is not preferred because it can kill the skin cells and prohibit the spot from air/drying out.

It's still very raw and am concerned it will lead to infection. Is EarthBath Hot Spot & Itch relief with Tea Tree safe to use directly on the hot spot?

Any suggestions?

 

[Traveler's Mom]

Hi,

Follow the advice given by Jakoda above. It is just as relevant today as it was then. I also use Vetericyn.

Drying the dog after getting wet is paramount in my experience. I use a wet & dry vac arranged in the blow not vac setting and it works great if you don't have a fancy dog blower.
Don't use peroxide or alcohol ever. I'm not familiar with the Earthbath item and I have used Tea Tree diluted. Some here do not agree that tea tree is appropriate.

Lynn & Traveler

 

[Traveler's Mom]

I wanted to add that I had lousy luck using any "people" type antibiotic creams. Aloe didn't work for me either.

Lynn & Traveler

 

[llombardo]

Two of mine got a rash from their collars. I happened to just make some colloquial silver the day before. I used the colloidal silver and within an hour it was dried up and no longer red. I was simply amazed.

 

[llombardo]

I will also add that I would NOT put a dog with any kind of open wound or any skin issues in a body of water(lake, River, pond) because of diseases that can find their way in through the area.

 

[Momto2GSDs]

Hot spots can also be caused by an allergy to something, possibly in the canal water, possibly just popped up because of food or treats or other environment type things, possible new dog bed, or rug/furniture in house.

Besides the items that I & others mentioned in this post, Povidone Iodine is an excellent healing tool....anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antiseptic!
Povidone Iodine purchased from the drug store: in a small bowl, pour some povidone iodine into a small bowl and dilute it with warm water (purified water) until it is the color of iced-tea. Use a clean cloth each time and bath the effected spots or wipe all over body with this. Don’t rinse off, just pat dry. Do this 2-3 times daily.

Also, Quercetin, a bioflavonoid (referred to as Nature's Benedryl) can help. "Quercetin is a bioflavonoid with anti-inflammatory properties and a strong antioxidant. It also does a great job suppressing histamines release from mast cells and basophils. Quercetin also has some other wonderful properties. It inhibits 5-lipo-oxygenase, an enzyme that increase the inflammatory cascade."

Quercetin should be accompanied by Bromelain and Papin, which increase the absorption of Quercetin, and also suppress histamine in their own rights.
These are professional formulas for people that I’ve used on my own dogs and suggested to other dog owners.
Quercetin: http://www.pureformulas.com/quercetin-300-60-vegetarian-capsules-by-allergy-research-group.html
Bromelain/Papain: http://pureformulas.com/bromelain-papain-60-capsules-by-professional-formulas.html


The dosage for Quercetin supplements is often provided for humans weighing approximately 125 pounds and is around 1000mg. Here’s how to convert the dosage for your pet:
Take the weight of your pet and multiply it by 1000mg, then divide it by 125 to get the milligram dosage your pet needs.
Let’s take my 70-pound Shepherd as an example: (70lb x 1,000mg= 70,000 then divide by 125 = 560mg).
The recommended dosage is 560mg all day. Rounding that to the closest whole number, the dosage for my girl is 500mg per day (best if split in half, meaning one 250mg dosages twice a day). per Dogs Naturally magazine.



Good Luck
Moms