Jump to content

Hot Spots


Peachie
 Share

Recommended Posts

Thought i would share and get some opinions on this

A client of mine has a couple of labs. The yellow one is prone to hot spots in summer. I spotted one just starting a few weeks ago ( i see these dogs mon-fri for a walk) and mentioned it to his mum. She said she would put some 'powder' on it. Next day there was almost no sign of the hottie, didnt flare up at all. There was a few tiny dry scabs, he didnt loose the hair in the centre or anything. It was definately going to be a hot spot when i saw it the day before, i see them so often during summer i am positive i wasnt mistaken.

What was this magic powder???

Curash. Yep, baby nappy rash powder.

What is the consensus. I have mentioned this to a couple of other clients who have this problem with their dogs - with a disclaimer of course that it has not been recommended by a vet, just another client with the same problem.

I guess my thinking is that if something is sensitive enough to use on a baby, then it should be ok for a dog.

Thoughts welcome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, noooooo... probably not the same thing hehe.

A hot spot, and anybody can correct me if i am wrong in my description, is a sore, ulcer like which occur with some dogs frequently. They flare up in no time at all, literally from nothing, to a damp spot on the fur, to an open, gooey sore sometimes within hours. If not treated they can become infected and very painful for the dog.

I guess i liken it to acne for people - some people have big problems, some people have an occasional zit, and some people never get them at all, same with dogs and hot spots.

http://www.balgownievet.com.au/1_gen_derm_hot_spots.htm

this one has a pretty gross pic:

http://www.vetinfo.com/dppyoderm.html

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i can tell you from a vet nurses experience a hot spot is a localised bacterial skin infection. dogs with allergies and thick coats are prone to them especially when it is hot, humid & damp outside. sometimes you can't even see them until they get to the point of ulceration and puss cuz of the dog's coat & it is the dog that makes it get to that point by scratching at it and introducing more bacteria.

best thing to do is to clip the hair away from the spot, scrub it with antibacterial wash & if it is really pussy the dog will need a short course of antibiotics, possibly some antihistamines or anti-inflammatories too. if you catch it early enough you can clip or snip the hair away, wash it with some antibacterial liquid handsoap or a mild salt + water solution. rinse thoroughly and pat dry and then TRY to stop the dog from licking/scratching. if it is a small early hot spot that is just pink and not ulcerated i think the nappy rash powder could help, but don't let the dog lick at it!

but if it is pussy and infected please take your dog to the vet! they can rapidly grow and spread and be uncomfortable for the poor pooch!

:thumbsup: Lynne

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The dog's owner who i mentioned in the OP puts the curash on at the first sign of a hottie - ie, damp fur and the skin slightly reddening. She applies the curash and the hottie simply doesnt appear. I guess the powder helps with the irritated feeling and the dog doesnt want to chew at it. I probablyi wouldnt use it for a full blown hottie, unless it was ok'd by the vet. Would probably help to dry it out, but if fully inflamed an antiseptic cream and antibotics would be definately called for.

Horrible things, i have seen probably half a dozen on client's dogs in the last week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was about to start a topic on hot spots but searched first and found this! Thanks for the information about Curash - american friends with golden retrievers swear by something called gold bond powder so curash must be the equivalent - i've emailed them to find out the ingredients on gold bond powder though.

My interest was I saw a pussy sore on Tilly this afternoon, thought I had better take her to the vets even though the consultation fee was going to be double - by the time I got my appointment 2 hours later it was bigger and very very red!!!! Amazing how quickly it grew!

She now has a shaved tail, having just grown back her hair from desexing, cream and antibiotics which are huge. and my credit card which was finally in the black is now in the red again but that doesn't matter at all!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have cured dozens of hot spots on friends' dogs without clipping, antibiotics etc - and absolutely no vet bills.

Colloidal silver sprayed or poured on the spot several times a day will kill all bacteria, clean it and ease the irritation. No hair has to be touched.

The active ingredient in Curash is zinc - I used it many years ago on an itchy dog that was chewing it's coat - fixed it. I then realised that by giving a zinc tablet daily I could prevent the itch in the first place. Any dog that is prone to ANY skin problems will probably benefit from this. Much easier to prevent problems than treat them.

Using zinc as a preventative (and treatment), and colloidal silver for any kind of skin infection is simple and cheap. Colloidal silver is also very helpful with eye and ear infections.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We always used to buy our colloidal silver from Robert McDowell in Bathurst (online orders) but ended up buying our own generator as we found more and more things to use it on - much cheaper!

Some chemists and health food stores also sell it, but it can be quite expensive this way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Lucky i found this thread!

Unfortuantly Ramses is looking like one of those labs that just gets them in the heat :) He has one that appeared over night, it is red and yuck. I have snipped that hair off it so i could put some egocort cream on it. When it stops beong pussy and yuck should i try the powder then?

This is the 2nd dog in my care with hot spots :thumbsup: that sounds so formal :o the other one Malcolm the pug got really really bad and as we didnt know what it was, we held off taking him to the vet for 2 days. We were pug sitting for the week, we were doing the salt wash before we took him though so he was getitng some treatment. He had to have a needle with something in it and was on antibac. cream for 2 weeks. If the egocort doesnt work ill ask mum to get some stuff that malcolm was on.

They are so ugly! I feel like a bad parent coz it popped up instantly! and its pretty big :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've known people use Listerine mouthwash on hot spots and irritated skin, something antibacterial that a lot of people have to hand.

Ouchie... wouldn't that sting? I get a lot of mouth ulcers and use mouth washes all the tiime and they sting th eulcers so I'd imagine ti wouldn't feel pleasant on an inflamed area of skin?????

I think I'll try the Curash powder. On SUnday, I discovered two hot spot on a rescue and a third starting.

The two larger ones are healing well but I am using a cream (my addled brain can not locate the name of it for the meanwhile :rofl: ) that I have always used and is supplied by my Vet. The third one that was just starting has already cleared.

My Pugs get them off and on because of their thick hair and rolls around their necks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i can tell you from a vet nurses experience a hot spot is a localised bacterial skin infection. dogs with allergies and thick coats are prone to them especially when it is hot, humid & damp outside. sometimes you can't even see them until they get to the point of ulceration and puss cuz of the dog's coat & it is the dog that makes it get to that point by scratching at it and introducing more bacteria.

best thing to do is to clip the hair away from the spot, scrub it with antibacterial wash & if it is really pussy the dog will need a short course of antibiotics, possibly some antihistamines or anti-inflammatories too. if you catch it early enough you can clip or snip the hair away, wash it with some antibacterial liquid handsoap or a mild salt + water solution. rinse thoroughly and pat dry and then TRY to stop the dog from licking/scratching. if it is a small early hot spot that is just pink and not ulcerated i think the nappy rash powder could help, but don't let the dog lick at it!

but if it is pussy and infected please take your dog to the vet! they can rapidly grow and spread and be uncomfortable for the poor pooch!

:rofl: Lynne

This advice is what I've learned works best for hot-spots that flare up on our Tibbie, Gracie. The vet even gives me some antibiotics to have on hand to give her at the first sign inflammation is setting in. But with all those previous steps Lynne's described, I've been able to mainly nip the spots in the bud.

Re the coat heating up the skin in hot weather.

I get Gracie clipped in summer & keep it so.

Also I do everything to keep her skin cool...put the airconditioning or fan on. Also I give her only short walks (rather than a long one)....because I've noticed when she gets over-heated from exercise, a hot-spot will follow.

Have found, too, I can't leave her with damp hair...it seems to produce a humidity that encourages hot-spots.

Also diet's helped her...NO preservatives & artificial colourings.

And STRICT flea control. Advantix, (Capstar table is a flea appears just before next Advantix is due), Fido's Fre-Itch Rinse.

My first-aid kit consists of Pyohex Medicated Lotion to kill bacteria on a pink area, Neotopic Lotion (contains a local anaesthetic) for when a spot erupts, Polaramine antihistamines (suggested by vet for when skin's getting pink) & antibiotics from vet at first sign on infection.

Edited by mita
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...