Folks,

Have any of y'all had problems with "hot spots"? My male GSD just came down with a real nasty bout of hot spots for the first time. It's awful. My vet said it's inhalation allergies and I am looking for some more information.

I'm confused about what the vet said because Hercules is two years old now, and we've been living in the same city the whole time. He has seen July before in south Louisiana and never had problems. It started three days ago when I was jogging with Hercules along the levee by the river, the same as we always do. On the way back to the house I saw him stopping to itch several times and I saw that the skin on his back was red and irritated, even though it was so high up on his back that he couldn't reach it with his paws, so it wasn't just a case of over scratching. Less than an hour later a big patch of hair fell out completely. The exposed skin was puffy, red, and oozing. Aiee!

I took him to the vet who called it hot spots and blamed it on inhalation allergies from something like pollen or mold or dust. Do any of y'all have experience with hot spots? Is my vets diagnosis plausible? If so, what if anything can I do to prevent my dog from a repeat occurence?

Yvette

It is possible that the Vet is correct. Another possibility is that something bit him.

A third possibility has to do with what he is being fed. Some dogs will develop hot spots from eating a wheat based food. It is often described as too "hot" for the dog. If that is the case try a corn, avacodo, or barly based food. A super premium would be better, but sind something with no wheat.

Could also be a contact allergy - do you use one of those flea and tick products that you apply on
the midline of the dogs back? I have one dog that developed hot spots where I had applied the
product. Also some dogs with a thick undercoat are more prone to get hot spots. They sure can appear fast though - I use Sulphodene on them as soon as I see one or zinc oxide powder.

I had a bout of them last summer and was told that they were an excess accumulation of the skins natural bacteria.
I found that Bedadine was helpful.
Good luck with it, their a pain in the butt (even more so for the dog!)

My mixed breed bitch has flea allergy dermatitis. She will develop a nasty hot spot from just one measly little flea bite. I have her on Frontline, which does a very good job of keeping the flea population at zero.

Another thread that I'm suprised the all natural diet people aren't all over.

That being said,(and I think Richard mentioned this already) if you aren't already, you should feed the best possible premium food that you can. The BARFers will tell you there is no such thing as a good comercial food but I will tell you that there is a huge difference between Innova or Solid Gold and let's say...... Purina or ALPO or whatever.

Some dogs are more prone to hot spots than others. I have dogs that have never had one and others who I will need to treat for these nasty occurances a couple of times a year. I don't get excited about it..just deal with it. Clip the hair away; apply the topical ointment a couple of times and place the dog on Keflex for 7 days. Then we're good to go until the next time comes round. I don't believe the brand of dog food they consume contributes towards these occurances as they all eat the same thing. I don't believe that fleas are the catalist since all of the dogs are on prevention and live in the same enviroment.
It's just one of those things that can occur when you have dogs.

Chuck, I'm with you on the food. I did my homework, and while I will agree with BARFers that kibble is still processed food, no matter how great the ingredients, I'd be willing to compare Alpo to Kraft Macaroni and Cheese and Solid Gold to Annie's Organic Whole Wheat Shells and White Cheddar. Both are processed, but there is a huge difference in quality. I feed Solid Gold, as it is less costly than Innova, and the ingredients are comparable. In addition, my dogs get lots of fresh foods as well.

Barbara, fleas can affect some dogs more than others. I have two dogs, and while the bitch will break out in a nasty hot spot where she got bitten, the Lab does not. They live in the same environment, eat the same food, and are on the same flea preventative. One has a severe reaction to fleas, and one does not.

As to the original post, I was not aware that inhalant allergies could cause hot spots. As far as I know, they affect the eyes, ears, and feet primarily. Skin and digestive upset are generally the realm of dietary allergies. Hot spots can be caused by lots of things, but again, I wasn't aware that pollen or mold could be one of the causes. I'm not a vet, though, so I don't know. If they don't go away, or keep recurring, I might get a second opinion.

i have heard before that feeding the dog garlic could aid in prevention. anyone heard of this.

My dog had a hot spot once. I've also seen them on heavily coated goldens and a couple of GSDs. The main theory that I have read is that they are more prevalent in hot and humid conditions (we have hot humid summers in Southern Ontario), and in dogs with a thick coat.

I have had good results with having people bathe their dogs with a shampoo that contains tea tree oil (like Mela Miracle). Tea tree oil is well know for it's antiseptic and antifungal properties.

Also scissor the area around the hot spot (better air circulation) and bathe with a solution of diluted hydrogen peroxide 2 to 3 times a day. It will help dry the area out.

The main thing is to keep the dog from scratching the area. A small hot spot can quickly become very large.