hot spots

[Sunnypup]

Daisy just developed some AWEFUL hot spots on her chest . They are HUGE and red and oozy. According to the previous owner she has had this before but not as bad. She suggested medicated bath and to trim the hair around it, then spray w/ hydrocortisone spray. I did all of the above plus put old socks on her hind feet so she can't rip up the sore any worse then she has. Is there anything else I can do? I can't take her to the vet just yet since we don't get paid until monday . . . I feel bad that she is so itchy. we think she's allergic to fleas (which we found all of 1 on her yesterday) could that be what caused this? She has advantiks and just got a flea/tick bath. HELP.

[bubbatd]

I'd say it's the fleas .....see 1, miss 20 .

[Sunnypup]

yeah, she was JUST treated though. I guess I'll wait a few days and treat again. Stupid advantics is NOT working. I also had another thought. She just had her rabies vaccination yesterday. Could THAT cause an allergic reaction? She didn't break out at all when we found a flea on her before.

[filarotten]

Roxie is very allergic to fleas. It seems one flea, and she gets a huge lump under her throat. She does scratch it. Hers has never been an open sore, though. However, If I didn't know what to look for with her,it may turn into an open sore. In her, it causes a bacterial infection. The vet has to give her antbiotics. I would try to keep it clean, and hopefully the socks will help. And get her to the vet when you can. Just in case it is from fleas and causes a bacterial infection like Roxie gets.

[Athebeau]

It probably is caused by the flea bite. You may want to get a topical treatment and get rid of the fleas quickly. When you mentioned advantiks..? is that Advantage? I would try putting some advantage on and see if that takes care of the problem. Of course, the hot spot has to be treated...having Newf's I've had my fair share of hotspot :rolleyes: They can be caused by numerous reasons, allergies, not getting all the shampoo out of the coat, not drying completely when the dog may have clumps, poor immune system, being over weight can cause hotspots as well.
What you may want to do is cleanse the dogs body from the inside out. ;) by allowing the intestines to be empty of food for about 24 hours the mucus and debris thta builds up on the intestinal lining begins to slough off and pass out of the body through the bowel. As a result, the intestines do a better gjob of absorbing nutrients. I would then put Daisy on a bland natural diet of pasture ground beef, organic yogurt (natural), flax seeds (crushed), veggies. Try to increase your dogs omega 3 fatty acids, this will have a major affect on the dogs immune system. You can give fish body oil supplements, or sometimes I give flax oil, hemp oil or cans of sardines packed in water.
If your dog is constantly scratching at the hot spot, an oatmeal soak is an excellent way to break the itch cycle and provid relief. Simply stuff a cotton sock with oatmeal (preferably orgainic) and soak it in hot water until a gooey emulsion forms. Let it cool and lay it gently over the area.
You can also take green tea bags, soak them in tepid water and apply directly to the skin, or make a compress out of a strong tea and clean cloth.
You may also want to support Daisy's immune system, I use Astragalus which works wonders for my older Newf...knock on wood we havent had a hot spot in years. Add antioxidants including vitamin C and e and grapeseed extract and probiotics added to each meal will also help.
Check your dogs diet, you may want to change Daisy to a new food...perhaps even California Naturals for a few months...or try a homemade raw food diet.

I try to avoid antibiotics with my dogs and seek other avenues for treatment. This is a personal choice. ;) Good luck with Daisy.

[Jynx]

I use Vet's Best Hot Spot Spray,,you can get it at www.kvvet.com contains tea tree oil,,soothing as well as healing..Have you used the advantix before? She could be having a reaction to that as well...I also have an aussie who breaks out in what one would "think" are hot spots, whenever he gets a vaccination,,huge red, raw oozy sores,,so no more vac's for him..I've used this stuff on him and it works fast and efficiently.
jynx

[fillyone]

Dante will get a hotspot from a flea bite.
What I've found works the best is to clip all the hair off the area and then saturate the area in a 50/50 solution of raw Apple Cider Viniger (Trader Joe's has a great one) and water.
The last one Dante had was healing nicely in 2 days of this applied x2 a day :D