<p>My lab had issues with hot spots until we figured out he was allergic to grain. I put him on a grain free diet and had no more problems. Lots of dogs can’t handle grain and it seems to get worse as they age. Some can handle barley and rice. Corn and wheat are the more likely culprits. I found this out after a visit with a doggie dermatologist. She also recommended bathing in Lemon Joy dishwashing detergent.</p>
<p>The Vetriciyn is relatively expensive but its an awesome product. We have some to use in the shop, and I have had really good experiences with it. Your quality local independent pet shop should be able to special order it for you. It’s stocked by the big distributors that we all order from weekly.</p>
<p>Our Standard Poodle has had a hot spot on occassion. We use cortaid on it, and distract her from licking/biting. We haven’t trimmed her fur, although we could, it just hasn’t been necessary. She does get regular hair cuts–nothing fancy just a modified puppy clip, although she’s 11 now. </p>
<p>If it happens again, I’ll look for the Vetriciyn.</p>
<p>I ordered the gel on Amazon last night.It was two dollars cheaper than Jefferson site.My lab has allergies to grass trees ect. We had her tested and we give a shot every three weeks plus oral meds. She licks between toes and last ulceration she had we took her to Cornell and they wanted to amputate the toe. Other lab has joint problems so we are clients of an orthopedic specialist. He removed ulcer and webbing and sutured toes together.Very glad he took her on.That was about 5 years ago. So far,so good. She is old and lays around alot so has a sore on elbow.I will try this for that area.</p>
<p>Kathiep - We had hotspot issues with our golden for years and the vets just seemed to treat the symptoms without looking to the underlying condition causing it (we had a string of less than good vets, not knocking the vet profession here, just the ones we had at the time = bad). Given he was a BIG boned golden (120 lbs - and not fat) lots of drugs got very costly. Allergies were suspected but we ended up out of frustration (it became a constant issue) went to a vet dermatologist who correctly diagnosed it as hypothyroidism which was treated very well with a small pill daily (which was also extremely cheap). That specialist visit was the best money ever spent. He started having issues around 2 and he was about 4 before we had him diagnosed so just fyi if this becomes more continual.</p>
<p>Today’s news - Dog slept in the cool basement with collar on, but couldn’t get up the steps without me lifting it up and everytime I did that, he growled and stepped back. Out of frustration, I took it off and he happily went up the steps. I watched him closely for an hour while I got ready for work and he seemed disinterested in licking the hot spot, so I thought the tea treatment must have solved the problem and (stupidly) left the collar off. An hour later my son called to tell me that dog had starting licking again and the wound was now bleeding. Son managed to get the collar on and I’m assuming did another application of the tea treatment. Meanwhile, I ordered the gel version of Vetericyn and it’s supposed to arrive on Friday. I can’t believe how overwhelmingly positive the reviews are of this stuff.</p>
<p>Clipping the hair exposes your dog to higher risk of sunburn (long-haired breeds are very susceptible without cover), not to mention most long-haired breeds rely on their hair to regulate body temperature. If avoidable, it should be avoided. Yes, if you let a hotspot fester to the point of a lesion, you may have to clip the hair - my point is that it should very rarely get to that point. You don’t need to be awake 24 hrs a day, your dog won’t go after the hot spot in his/her crate.</p>
<p>Also, as someone else mentioned, food can also affect hot spot frequency/strength as well. Corn and soy are very common canine allergies. Though the more typical topical symptom is clumps of hair loss, they can also cause skin irritations leading to clawing and lesions.</p>
<p>We are not talking shaving the whole dog, just trimming the hair around a wound. Not even shaving down to the skin, just cutting back the long hair that lays in the wound. </p>
<p>We don’t crate. And of the hotspots one of our dogs got, they were gone very quickly if we trimmed the hair, put on cortisone. As for hotspots never getting to that degree, it can happen overnight.</p>
<p>I saw a dog at the vet whose owners came home late on night and the dog had eaten it’s hotspot raw in a day. </p>
<p>From severalmwebsite and from my own vet</p>
<p>First thing is trim the hair, as the would can dry out, and bacteria needs a warm moist environment to grow. And you need to wash the wound which is more difficult with lots of hair, and it needs to dry.</p>
<p>To not cut the hair will just make the hotspot last longer. There is no reason not to trim the hair. None at all, and trimming it makes all the difference. It really does.</p>
<p>Not a ton of people know about the Vetericyn, but everyone I have ever talked to that uses it loves it. We actually ended up ordering the ear rinse kind to use on my other dog, who occasionally gets ear infections, once we realized how well the original kind works. Last summer my horse sliced his Jaw open so deep that the vet could stick her whole finger straight in. He had stitches and staples put in but it still didn’t want to grow back together and kept getting infected. The vet ended up suggesting Vetericyn and it was like a miracle. Within 3 days it was almost completely healed together (and this was a 7 inch long cut). So needless to say, I am a strong believer and advocate of this stuff! We also ended up using it on my dog and one of the barn cats for hotspots. Just make sure you never let it get below 32 degrees or the active ingredients will neutralize and not work (this isn’t a problem for most people, but mine stays outside at the barn for long periods of time). Hope your pup is feeling better soon!!</p>
<p>I’m aware it’s shaving around the spot. That still poses sunburn and heat issues, particularly since you’re advocating a 4-inch radius circle. Even on a Golden that’s a pretty big area, not to mention any smaller long-haired dogs.</p>
<p>Not crating is your own decision - just be aware that it does contribute to how quickly hot spots can materialize before you notice. Ideally, dogs should be crated when you’re away. Also when you’re sleeping, though I acknowledge this one is harder for people to accept. It’s not cruel, and in fact your dog will be more relaxed and much less likely to develop anxiety problems or hyperactivity.</p>
<p>I’m not saying to never trim. Sometimes, you have to if the lesion’s already large. I’m pointing out that there are a multitude of ways to make sure it’s a rare development, and that trimming shouldn’t be the go-to solution. You don’t need a sledgehammer for every nail.</p>
<p>When I talked about 4inches, I wasmthinking to remember to trim the long hair down so it does not fall into wound, it doesn’t have to be cut that much that far out, but most goldens i know have very long hair, especially in the flanks. </p>
<p>And considering almost every website, my own three vets I have used, dog walkers i know and dog trains ALL say trim the spot, guess we are all wrong.</p>
<p>It’s hair, it’s a dog. A bald spot around a wound is much better then a hot spot that last for longer then it needs to. </p>
<p>If younhave a short haired dog with curly hair, you of course would not need to trim that much, but again goldens have very long hair.</p>
<p>I just called a local animal emergency hospital and asked, and they too advised trimming hair tomallow wound to dry and for medicine to be able to get to wound. Rubbing medicine in the hair is useless…</p>
<p>I have never had to crate and my dogs aren’t anxious. They sleep well.</p>
<p>I know crating is for some, but I personally like my dogs to not be crated. </p>
<p>Ideally? Not really. Easier for the owner, oh yeah.</p>
<p>We are having similar problems with our 11-year-old lab, who has taken to licking his back legs constantly. He is now on prednisone for itching and oral antibiotics for a bacterial infection in the hot spots he has licked off. We keep him in an inflatable doughnut-type collar at night, rather than a cone. He prefers this because he can hear and it provides him with a cushion. Now, however, we are dealing with chronic ear infections because of the collar use. So he’s being treated for that as well. It’s just a constant battle and I don’t know what to do.</p>
<p>Seahorsesrock - What they’re referring to is what happens when the irritated area is already scratched/licked/bitten into a lesion. Note that I said this specifically… </p>
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<p>Consider the fact that I’ve never had one of my dogs pick at any hot spot beyond loss of hair and minor scratching. Prevention >>> cutting hair, prescribing drugs, and putting your dog through MUCH more discomfort. You have the mistaken impression that I advise against trimming unless necessary as vanity, when nothing could be further from the truth.</p>
<p>Crating isn’t to make it easier for the owners, though that is a benefit. The fact that you think it’s something to be proud of never doing just shows how little you know about dog and pack psychology. The reason you crate your dog when it’s alone is because you are supposed to be the pack leader (easy way to determine - if your dog is in front of you when on lead, your dog considers you beneath it in the pack). When you’re gone, the dog will feel lost without its leader, and in its mind will begin to think of itself as the alpha. Boredom also crops up in the more intelligent/active breeds. That’s how a lot of bad habits, particularly dominance issues, form. Crating, if introduced properly, is a much better alternative. Dogs are naturally den animals to begin with, so it’s actually very calming for them. They learn to go to sleep while inside, stay relaxed, and feel safe.</p>
<p>Crating at night is for a separate reason, namely that it helps establish yourself as the pack leader - particularly important if your dog is naturally dominant. Pack hierarchy when sleeping is done by height of sleeping area, which is why dogs are generally predisposed to take over the pillows. Crating in this instance allows you to passively establish that you’re the alpha of the pack (since the crate is on the ground, and you’re a few feet above). If you introduce it correctly, dogs love it. Between 9:30 and 10:00 my sheltie bumps me with her nose and scoots into her crate on her own (just did while writing this). And yes, coincidentally it also helps mitigate the possibility overnight hotspots. Anyway, enough of this. If you want to keep discussing the pros and cons of crating, we can do so via PM.</p>
<p>NJSue - In lieu of the collar, you can try two things. One is “Grannick’s bitter apple spray”. I can’t link to the product (TOS violation), but you can look it up on amazon and is available in a lot of pet stores. It works pretty well for the hind legs since the only way the dog can reach it is by mouth. Just spray it on the areas every few hours. It’s also useful in general for teaching your dog not to gnaw on shoes, furniture, or other items. If it happens that he can tolerate the taste, there are extra bitter sprays available through your vet.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t recommend crating (Seahorsesrock just fainted in shock), simply because introducing it in a trauma period will associate the crate with the pain in its mind. The second option is to cleanse the ear every morning to deal with the infections. If you go this route I recommend the “Vet Solutions Ear Cleansing Solution” - also available on amazon (never looked for it in stores, so I wouldn’t know). It’s cheap, and the only other thing you need is some cotton balls.</p>
<p>Mind if I ask what you’re feeding your lab? And if his diet’s changed recently?</p>
<p>Collectiv- right now he eats Kirkland (Costco) brand dry adult dog food (lamb and rice), plus a meatball-sized portion of raw meat (chicken or beef) 4-5 times a week. We’ve had to switch his dry food a few times in his life but he’s been eating the Costco food for a while now. He does seem to have a problem with seasonal allergies. Also, when we had our kitchen redone, something was uncovered (we still don’t know what) that caused him to have a major allergic reaction and he had to be hospitalized. </p>
<p>I’ll try the Bitter Apple. I remember using it on chair legs when he was a puppy.</p>
<p>We stopped crating him (we used to do so during they day when we were gone–he sleeps in our bedroom at night). We leave his crate in the corner of the family room and he goes in there periodically at will. We don’t lock him in while we’re gone because sometimes he has bladder trouble. I’d rather have him pee on the floor than on himself. The prednisone makes it worse.</p>
<p>My golden never tolerated prednisone well. Not to sound like a broken record but pls make sure your vet does the blood work to test for hypothyroidism. My dog really sounded like “seasonal allergies” and maybe that played a part but really, the chronic hot spots and licking - it was not resolved by addressing allergies. Rounds and rounds of antibiotics, prednisone and various cremes and salves, the cone of shame, the donut of despair, ear infection drops…to just treat the symptoms but as soon as things improved and we thought we were in the clear, it would happen again.</p>
<p>I have a Springer with regular ear infections and hot spot issues over his 9-year life. I’ve tested the poor guy for Hypothyroidism (negative) and we give him a salmon-based dog food that is supposed to be free of wheat and corn. I am not sure what causes the hot spots, but I try to keep everything at bay by regularly clipping him, especially short under his long ears, and if he does go for a swim or a bath, I towel dry his underside pretty well. I have ear wash prescribed for the vet that I’m supposed to squirt in once a week to keep things at bay, and I have a special antibacterial shampoo that I’m supposed to bath him in as well. I just came back from vacation for a week without him and one of his ears was infected, so he’s being treated with Zymox (is that for yeast infection in the ear?). He’s 9 and we have been going through this cycle since he was a pup. I’ve had Springers my whole life and this is the first one to have all these ear and skin issues, and I’m a pretty good pet owner, so I’m sure it’s just related to his DNA. I read this and am glad I’m not alone. I may invest in some of that Vetericyn to get a jump on the next round of hot spots. Will be watching to see the results of Kathiep’s dog.</p>
<p>Snowflake VT - the worst hotspot of my Siberian’s life (over a period of weeks he chewed all the hair off a 6-inch section of his tail, he looked like a mutant rat) was soon after I switched from Wellness Core to Wellness Ocean (both grain free). It got better after switching back and use of a vet-prescribed spray. Cone of shame did not good, he could still reach it.</p>
<p>Regarding food allergies… I have a dog with both inflammatory bowel disease and food allergies that make the IBD worse. The allergies are to weird things, like salmon, lamb, and venison. (She’s also allergic to corn, wheat, soy, and milk proteins, all of which are much more common allergens.)</p>
<p>It has been difficult to find foods she can eat. The vet recommended an elimination diet, in which we started with two ingredients–boiled chicken and rice, in her case–and then added one new ingredient every THREE MONTHS. Not once a week, as is commonly suggested, because so many allergy symptoms take a long time to show up. Over time (it’s been almost six years), we’ve arrived at a pretty balanced diet and she mostly manages with just diet.</p>
<p>I have learned a lot about reading dietary labels over those six years. It’s amazing to me how many dog foods change ingredients without any warning on the bag, so if there are known sensitivities, you need to read the bag every single time. Quite a few dog foods bury the same common allergens down in the ingredient list, as well–you can commonly find soy or whey proteins added, for example, to foods that say “real chicken!” on the label.</p>
<p>Thanks, dmd … I’ll analyze the label to see if soy or whey are sneaking into the ocean forumula we are using.</p>