Puppy And Hot Spots

[TrinaJ]

Lysterine works wonders on hotspots, dries them up in no time.

Not sure about preventing them, but this helps cure them.

Beautiful Goldie

[BMAK]

i see a lot of golden's with hot spots as they have a thick coat the area that becomes damp under the hair, doesn't get dry where an infection can break out causing a hot spot sometimes people end up havng to shave the area so it can breath.

but for a golden wouldn't suggest you shave, you can use a medicated shampoo available at pet places called "Quitich" great for bacterial infections and can be left on for a few days then washed off and re-applied or even bathed in it.

[buckley rog]

Yeah I really don't want to shave him! We cut the fur back where the spot is about the size of 10cent peice. The breeder said never ever shave, we use an undercoat rake regularly, bought some quick itch yesterday seems to be helping

[GoldenGirl85]

My Goldie has had some bad hotpsots this year, what I found to help prevent them (so far so good) is giving her a Pyohex (or malaseb) bath weekly, dont be stingy on the soap and leave it on for at least 10 mins before washing it off, and I mean absolutely cover the dog, do his face and everything, it will reduce the amount of bacteria on his skin, reducing the chance of a hotspot starting. Also blowdry him properly every time he gets wet, with all this rain QLD has been getting poor Lexi wasnt getting dried properly and she was covered in hotspots

[bubbles]

We have tried many different treatments for hot spots over the decades, on goldens and german shepherds.

The most effective treatment (I believe) is Curash powder. Wash the hot spot and dry it thoroughly with either a towel or a dryer. Then cover it thickly with Curash powder. 9 times out of ten the hotspot will dry up immediately. Very occasionally you might have to repeat this process the next day if the hot spot is still wet.

You will also have minimal hair loss with this. The area may look a bit clumpy for a few days, and I check it constantly to add more powder if I think it is warranted.

If you don't want to radically change the diet, try adding a teaspoon of Flaxseed Oil to his food every day. Get the one from a health food shop that has to be stored in the fridge.

Good luck!

[monique.c]

Yeah I really don't want to shave him! We cut the fur back where the spot is about the size of 10cent peice. The breeder said never ever shave, we use an undercoat rake regularly, bought some quick itch yesterday seems to be helping

We have tried many different treatments for hot spots over the decades, on goldens and german shepherds.

The most effective treatment (I believe) is Curash powder. Wash the hot spot and dry it thoroughly with either a towel or a dryer. Then cover it thickly with Curash powder. 9 times out of ten the hotspot will dry up immediately. Very occasionally you might have to repeat this process the next day if the hot spot is still wet.

You will also have minimal hair loss with this. The area may look a bit clumpy for a few days, and I check it constantly to add more powder if I think it is warranted.

If you don't want to radically change the diet, try adding a teaspoon of Flaxseed Oil to his food every day. Get the one from a health food shop that has to be stored in the fridge.

Good luck!

Hey I have a 5 month old golden that has gotten a couple of hot spots, the first time was pretty bad and we took him to the vet as he is our first dog (that hasn't been a family dog) so we didn't want to do anything wrong and weren't sure what they were.

The next time it happened though we used Curash straight away (after reading all about it on here) after cleaning it with some diluted dettol solution and it cleared up really quickly.

I also bought one of those furminator brushes because our Snowy's fur is so thick and we though that it was probably keeping a lot of moisture in his fur as it has been so rainy here lately and he loves going swimming and stuff and since we have been using the furminator he hasn't had a hot spot (not 100% sure it's due to the fuminator but I definitely think it helped). I read that you have an under coat rake so it might be a similar thing...

Hope it gets better for you!

[poodlemum]

We have tried many different treatments for hot spots over the decades, on goldens and german shepherds.

The most effective treatment (I believe) is Curash powder. Wash the hot spot and dry it thoroughly with either a towel or a dryer. Then cover it thickly with Curash powder. 9 times out of ten the hotspot will dry up immediately. Very occasionally you might have to repeat this process the next day if the hot spot is still wet.

You will also have minimal hair loss with this. The area may look a bit clumpy for a few days, and I check it constantly to add more powder if I think it is warranted.

If you don't want to radically change the diet, try adding a teaspoon of Flaxseed Oil to his food every day. Get the one from a health food shop that has to be stored in the fridge.

Good luck!

A groomer friend of mine suggested Curash when my young bitch had a mild allergic rash on her belly - worked a treat! THanks, Bubbles - I had forgotten about Curash

[honeybun]

I was reccommended Selsun Blue Shampoo, it has fungal curing ingredients.

A vet suggested it for fungal ears in one of my cocker spaniels years ago,1 drop to 20 warm water and it worked well. Also,a tiny amount pure dabbed on a hot spot and it cleared up overnight.

Another vet yelled at me when I told her what I used, that it wasnt sold for that purpose and put me onto cortisone, which didnt work at all, and I went back to Selsun, which cleared it up when ever a hot spot appeared.

[Mason_Gibbs]

My allergy dog has been battling hotspots since end november, we think its a combo of the hot weather and his immunotherapy shots as he seems to get the spots about 3 days after his injections. I did use baking soda and curash on his spots and it cleared up 8 out of 10 of them, I wash them first with this red antiseptic wash I get from the vet and then I put the baking soda or curash. He has just had a course of antibiotics for 2 that would not clear up and needed to be shaved and treated. My dermatologist also suggests using Malacetic wipes on them when they have almost cleared.

[ashka1]

Hot spots are a fungal tinea like infection and can get really nasty. I use an anticeptic powder from the chemist, works a treat and clears up very quickly.

I had a dog with huge allergy problems and was advised to switch him to Advance sensitive. I was not sure as I felt I had tried everything, all fish based foods etc. I did change him to Advance after seeing an older girl who I know had chronic skin probs, and looked amazing in a month and within 3 weeks I had a different dog! I was amazed. I recomended this to another newfy owner 2 weeks ago and she emailed me today to say that already she is seeing a huge difference, her dog was previously on Pro Plan sensitive with not real changes. She is very happy and so is the dog. I also give fish oil, vit E and zinc. Could be worth a try for you..

[Swanbrook]

hmm I will have to research the Eukanuba a bit more it is the large puppy version, I was thinking of changing him to Royal Canin (lab puppy). Just dont like messing with his food too much. He does get very hot when playing and takes a while to cool back down. There is no wandering jew in the yard (removed it all a few months ago and have been keeping a close eye on it as pup loves to eat it if it is around)

Royal Cannin dry food. Does a wonderful job and yes hot spots are a fungus and we believe preventing hot spots by adding a can of tuna in tuna oil once or twice a week to our bullmastiffs diet. The omega 3 and the oil help promote good skin and coat along with regular brushing to bring oil out in coat. Also dont go over board with baths.Let the dogs natural oils in the coat do their job protecting the skin. Healthy skin and coat= no fungus,no hot spots. Prevention is better than cure. Try it you may be pleasantly surprised.

[Shelby]

You must make sure after bathing or getting wet that you dry the coat 100% right down to the skin. Brush the coat backwards whilst blowdrying to make sure you are fully drying. If the moisture is left near the skin especially in hot weather, hot spots break out. If hot spots occur with my shelties, I use apple cider vinegar on them. Just dab it on neat - it drys out the skin and seems to heal quickly.

[Mason_Gibbs]

hmm I will have to research the Eukanuba a bit more it is the large puppy version, I was thinking of changing him to Royal Canin (lab puppy). Just dont like messing with his food too much. He does get very hot when playing and takes a while to cool back down. There is no wandering jew in the yard (removed it all a few months ago and have been keeping a close eye on it as pup loves to eat it if it is around)

Royal Cannin dry food. Does a wonderful job and yes hot spots are a fungus and we believe preventing hot spots by adding a can of tuna in tuna oil once or twice a week to our bullmastiffs diet. The omega 3 and the oil help promote good skin and coat along with regular brushing to bring oil out in coat. Also dont go over board with baths.Let the dogs natural oils in the coat do their job protecting the skin. Healthy skin and coat= no fungus,no hot spots. Prevention is better than cure. Try it you may be pleasantly surprised.

Fish oils will do nothing unless taken in the correct quantities for a dogs weight, my 32Kg lab takes 5 x 1000mg fish oils a day and 5 x evening primrose oils. Hot spots have nothing to do with the oils in the skin/coat and all to do with moisture/humidity. Also you can change foods until the cows come home but unless you know what the dog is allergic to its a waste of time, elimination diet is best if you think its allergies, but plenty of dogs without allergies get hotspots this time of year.

Someone also recommended taking the dead undercoat out with a furminator, I have ordered one to see if it makes any difference.

[ravensmyst00]

I was reccommended Selsun Blue Shampoo, it has fungal curing ingredients.

A vet suggested it for fungal ears in one of my cocker spaniels years ago,1 drop to 20 warm water and it worked well. Also,a tiny amount pure dabbed on a hot spot and it cleared up overnight.

Another vet yelled at me when I told her what I used, that it wasnt sold for that purpose and put me onto cortisone, which didnt work at all, and I went back to Selsun, which cleared it up when ever a hot spot appeared.

Selsun Blue shampoo can cause your dog to itch more due to the menthol. Selsun Shampoo in the yellow bottle is the correct one to use as it does not cause a tingling sensation like the Selsun Blue but has the same anti fungal and anti bacteria ingredients without the menthol.

I also noted someone had mentioned hot spots are a fungus. Hot spots are caused by a naturally occurring bacteria on the dogs skin. At times if conditions are right (Ie break in the skin, excess heat, humidity compromised immune system) these bacteria can multiply quickly causing the hot spot or moist eczema as it is sometimes referred to.

Hot Spots can also be a sign of an internal allergy Ie food related.

If you have found that chicken seems to be causing an issue read the ingredients on the dog food - watch what kind of fat is used. If they don't list the kind of animal it will usually be chicken fat.

[buckley rog]

We do put fish oil in his food as advised by his vet. Thinking of chaning him to BARF to see if getting rid of grains will help at all but he is still in his growth phase and I'm a little worried about that. I did wonder if it was just the time of year and the humidity.

Also he does not have frequent baths. We were trying to do once a month as this was recommended by the breeder but they said washing a bit more regulary (fortnighty) would be ok if he is suffering from allergies. Also use an undercoat rake regularly which helps.

I'm just really confused about the food stuff. People seem to recommend BARF but there doesn't seem to be much evidence (scientific) behind it (not saying there is behind dry either) and I'm worried his growth rate as he is a large golden.

[dee lee]

If you are happy with his diet I wouldnt necessarily change it.

I had a previous dog on raw mince and bones only and she still got hotspots (it wasnt a BARF diet but she didnt have grains- which seems to be the contentious issue).

Unfortunately, being a GR and a puppy he will be more prone to hotspots. With experience and as your dog matures you may find that you will get less of them, but they most likely will crop up from time to time.

My GR has had a few, my routine now is to make sure that she is dry next to the skin (particularly on her tummy) after her walk or swimming. She has perfected the roll over to let me do it- she loves it!

At the time I check her over to see if there are any red patches on her skin, or anywhere where she has been licking or chewing.

If I find even the smallest sign of irritation I will spray it with Betadine. I find that process to work quite well.

If somehow a hotspot slips through, I will clean the area with warm water, dry it and put betadine on it several times a day until the spot clears.

Aloveen is a good regular shampoo for allergy prone skin, its oatmeal based.

[Golden Rules]

We do put fish oil in his food as advised by his vet. Thinking of chaning him to BARF to see if getting rid of grains will help at all but he is still in his growth phase and I'm a little worried about that. I did wonder if it was just the time of year and the humidity.

Also he does not have frequent baths. We were trying to do once a month as this was recommended by the breeder but they said washing a bit more regulary (fortnighty) would be ok if he is suffering from allergies. Also use an undercoat rake regularly which helps.

I'm just really confused about the food stuff. People seem to recommend BARF but there doesn't seem to be much evidence (scientific) behind it (not saying there is behind dry either) and I'm worried his growth rate as he is a large golden.

One of my Goldies is just 6 months old also, and I wouldn't be mucking around too much with food until he is about 12 months old. He gets dry food as well as a chicken frame. Once he is over 12 months he will get more of a prey model diet with some kibble still. That's as much for my convenience as it is for the dog's health!

Take note of all the suggestions and ideas here, and do the ones you are happy with. It will be trial and error to see what works for you and your dog anyway.

Re bathing, my dogs are lucky to get 2 baths a year! They swim every weekend in summer, either the river or the beach and in winter they will paddle rather than swim. Good regular brushing is all they need.

I also use a Mars Coat King Rake (#18) on my older Goldie because he has such a thick coat and moults all year round (typical for an inside dog I believe), the Mars rake is great for thinning out the coat although I suspect your puppy's coat would not need this at 6 months old.

Something else I am just starting to do which you may like to consider, is using Protexin (a probiotic) daily. My pup tends to have loose stools a lot regardless of what I feed him and he scratches a little bit. I am trying to boost his immune system now while he is young and am hoping this probiotic will make a difference!

[Mason_Gibbs]

We do put fish oil in his food as advised by his vet. Thinking of chaning him to BARF to see if getting rid of grains will help at all but he is still in his growth phase and I'm a little worried about that. I did wonder if it was just the time of year and the humidity.

Also he does not have frequent baths. We were trying to do once a month as this was recommended by the breeder but they said washing a bit more regulary (fortnighty) would be ok if he is suffering from allergies. Also use an undercoat rake regularly which helps.

I'm just really confused about the food stuff. People seem to recommend BARF but there doesn't seem to be much evidence (scientific) behind it (not saying there is behind dry either) and I'm worried his growth rate as he is a large golden.

I bath my allergy dog 1x a week, I am supposed to do it 2x a week but I never get around to doing it.

I have my name down for a puppy to be born middle of the year, I am still deciding whether I will do kibble or raw, leaning towards raw but I need to do some research.

Edited January 31, 2011 by Mason2009