Hot Spots on Dogs ?

Question

My vet told me my dog has hot spots, she is on a spray to stop the itchyness and a medicine called prednisone. Will these hot spots go away or will this be an on going thing. She has a couple of spots that she bit till it started bleeding.

I am using the spray gentocin, but every time i see her biting a spot I have to check if there is anything there and if there is, i have to shave her spot and put the spray on her. The poor dog looks like a 5 year old got a hold of her with the shaver. :(

My vet is the one who recommended to shave the spots, she has really thick hair and it it very hard to tell if there is anything there, if i dont shave her it only goes on her fur. He shaved two spots and that is how he saw how bad a couple of spots were. She got to her backside today and made a little spot bleed. She is on cephalaxin because she had eye surgery also.(My poor girl) She was a stray we got at the humane society, and she has cost us a small fortune so far, there were a few things wrong with her, and now she has the hot spots.

She is a St.Bernard. Older dog also.

She is on a food called Wellness, almost all natural, no wheat, no by-products, it's a terrific dog food.

I've seen in Drs. Foster and Smith catalog a Allergy Kit, it is two different pills one with omega 3 and the other is allergy tabs that contains vitamin c, any body ever try this and if yes has it worked. It says it works for allergys and hot spots.

Your very good !!! She had entropion, her eyes are getting better. I've had her about a month now. She also has an infection on her chin (it's getting better). She's so good about me doing what has to be done to her. I Love her so much.

She has an E-collar, but I only put it on her when shes not in my sight, this way she don't mutilate herself.

Thank you SOOO much vet tech, I will definetly keep you updated. Hugs to your pups !! :-)

Answer 1

Unfortunately, hot spots will be a reoccurring problem in most dogs. However.. there are the few that never have the problem again!! I am assuming you are using the topical spray GentaSpray? It works wonders. And Pred is a steroid (as I am sure your vet told you!), so it will help to heal those raw areas. Poor girl!!

It really could go either way for your baby, let's hope she is one of those dogs who never have to deal with hot spots again!! Some of our patients with reoccurring hot spots will use Pred every other day as a preventative or will only get it refilled when the spots begin to appear. So... for now... you will just have to wait and see!

For now, try to prevent her from getting to those spots (I know that can be challenging!). She is only going to make them more raw and irritated. You would also hate for them to become infected or abscessed. All she needs is a round of Cephalexin or Simplicef (antibiotics) on top of her other meds!! It might be in your best interest to contact your vet and let them know that she is going after her spots and request an Elizabethan Collar (lamp shade) just to give her skin a chance to heal!!!

My fingers are crossed for you and your pooch!

NOTE: The spay you are using is a form of GentaSpray.. it will absolutely do the trick. I feel so bad for your girl!! Did your vet recommend shaving the area? That can actually cause more aggrivation to the area and also has been known to cause infection. At our clinic we tell our clients to not shave down the spots, but they can trim the fur around it to better get to the area with medication.

UPDATE: Hi Golden :) Actually, we have linked hot spots to a diet containing wheat gluton in the past few months (especially in Goldens and Chows, surprise... surprise! hehe... our "poster children" of hot spots). As far as the corn and soy... dogs should not be eating that junk regardless.

But of course, there are always those breeds who will be more prone regardless of the ingrediants found (or not found!) in food. It is always highly recommended to any of our clients to switch to either Canidae, Timberwolf, or Innova if their dog suffers from hot spots. All of our clients who have switched their diet have reported no hot spots or at least fewer "out breaks". So, we will see!!! Again, we have only recently made the connection.

OH!!! A SAINT?? :) You know that is my breed!!! Please give her a huge hug for me!!! Sadly, Saints are one of those lucky breeds who are more apt to developing hot spots. Wellness is an EXCELLENT food, god job! I feel blessed that none of my Saints have developed spots (knock on wood!).

I have also been to seminars where they have made references to hot spots being stress related. How long ago did you adopt her? I can't imagine how scared she was as a stray! It is actually a good thing she is already on antibiotics, more protection that way from infection. Tell me she had either entropion or ectropion surgery on her eye??? My heart is breaking over here!!

Ok hun... if I were you I would get her one of those high fashion E-Collars (haha, poor thing!) to keep her from making the situation worse. I have found them at our local Petsmart, however, it is very hard to find the XX-Large size needed for our large Saints! You vet should have them in stock!! She needs to give those spots a chance to heal. Let's hope this is the last sign of spots you will see on this poor baby!

I know, aren't Saints the best dogs? I am in LOVE with this breed. They hold a very special place in my heart!! Speaking of Saints... mine is practically falling asleep sitting up next to me on the couch, time for bed before she decides to fall asleep on me! No way I can get her off :) Again, please let me know how she does. I wish her a quick recovery!! From one Saint mommy to another!!!

I would advise you to keep the E-Collar on her 24/7 until they heal. I know how hard it will be for her (and you!!), but it is really best for her.

Before you jump into purchasing different kits that promise to cure allergies and hot spots, give the meds a chance and see how she does once she is done. I am always a little weary of those type deals. Take it one step at a time. AND please do not thank me... that is what I am here for! Smooch to your girl :))))))))

Answer 2

Vet tech did give good advice and really knows her stuff but I agree with those saying it only masks the symtoms and supresses the immune system. I have a dog that had problems with hot spots and I gave the steroids & cephalexin a try but the hot spots came back over and over so after seeing my dog suffer with hot spots a few times and the vet's recommended treatment not working I opted not to use steroids anymore because they only relieved the symtoms for a short period of time. In the long run they cause more damage then good.
I cleared up the hot spots by using steeped black tea bags, apple cider vinegar and witch hazel. As I worked to get rid of the hot spots I changed his food and began giving him a raw diet, at times I get a little lazy so I will give him dog food and I chose Canidae for those times. I also started giving him Brewers Yeast, Omega 3 & 6 and Vitamin C and I have not had a problem since.
I believe the kit from Foster's and Smith is about the same thing I give my dogs but I do not buy their kit.
The vet I go to now is more into holistic treatments and raw diets and I got my info from him.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Hot Spots on Dogs ?
My vet told me my dog has hot spots, she is on a spray to stop the itchyness and a medicine called prednisone. Will these hot spots go away or will this be an on going thing. She has a couple of spots that she bit till it started bleeding.

Answer 4

OH Been where you are now and the shaving does look just awful. The predisone will help with th itching and the gentaspray does work wonder like Vet Tech said. I have to tell you with my Golden's this years, knock on wood, I havent had any yet! I swear it because I took them off dog food containing corn and wheat and soy and by products. Maybe Vet Tech can better tell you if allergies lead to the hot spots but my guy's have never looked so good and their coats are just beautiful!

HI Vet Tech :)
Haha! I thought so! That wheat will do it evey time. All I know is I have had no hot shots here with my boy's. Which is great with me. :)
Oh by the way I feed my boy's Canidae!

Answer 5

My puppy has recently gotten a couple of hot spots and I found this treatment called Benadene (hot spot skin remedy) from Sergeant's VeTSCRIPTION. I have applied it about 4 times as yet and am already seeing a major improvement. I found it at a local grocery store, but it can probably be found at Wal-mart or the like. Hope this helps your doggy too!!!

Answer 6

Gentaspray works good. My golden had hot spots in both ears last year which made him GRUMPY! It was interesting giving him the spray. It took a good week to cure it. It was probably caused by an allergic reaction to wood ticks in combination with high humidity at the time. So far so good this year? If you give your dog baths dry them off completely which will help keep the hot spot risk lower.

Answer 7

Hot spots usually go away quickly with the anti-inflammatory meds you were given. Keeping the hair trimmed off allows the air to get to them and they dry up faster. You can wash them with antibacterial soap if they are moist, then rinse well and pat dry. Something causes the itching in the first place, like a flea bite or allergy. The Gentaspray has antibiotic in it as well. Some breeds, like Golden Retrievers, seem to be prone to these.

Answer 8

hot spots are a sign of alergy. Pred is a steroid, not good for her but does relieve the itch because it kills the immune system. your vet must have told you that? To cure a hot spot shave the area around it down to skin then put bag balm on it. But curing the hot spot isn't the issue, the issue is finding what she's allergic to so she won't get any more. The dog needs alergy testing to be absolutely sure but most of the time its food related. Give her food with no grains in it, if that doesnt do it then its envriomental which may mean alergy shots every ten days. Expensive but worth it to keep the dog comfortable. good luck

Answer 9

well my 2 dogs also had hot spots but what i had to do was i got some hot spots liquid stuff to put on them after every bath. i did that for 2 weeks and then their hot spots were gone.

Answer 10

Hot spots are usually linked to poor diet, and diets full of grains.

I'd try switching your dogs food to a grain free dog food... Evo is one brand, but there are a few others.

http://www.naturapet.com/brands/evo.asp

I think most of the 6 star rated foods on this site are grain free:

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/

I'd also look at finding a good homeopathic vet in your area. Steroids like Prednisone just mask the symptom and supress the immune system.... they don't help solve the real problem.

Good luck.