My long coated GSD has all of the sudden about a month ago developing hot spots! I have tried a few things that others have suggested and so far nothing has worked. I did how ever buy some medicated shampoo today and use it on him, and I also switched his food to Science Diet Sensitive Skin. If this doesn't help him in the next couple of weeks, then I will make an appointment with my vet. Are hot spots in fact from allergies? Some have said yes, and some have said no. Any info would be great. Or remediessss. Thanks.

 Quote: Anna Hull

My long coated GSD has all of the sudden about a month ago developing hot spots! I have tried a few things that others have suggested and so far nothing has worked. I did how ever buy some medicated shampoo today and use it on him, and I also switched his food to Science Diet Sensitive Skin. If this doesn't help him in the next couple of weeks, then I will make an appointment with my vet. Are hot spots in fact from allergies? Some have said yes, and some have said no. Any info would be great. Or remediessss. Thanks.

Oh, gosh, Science Diet is number one on my list of the worst commercial foods you can possibly buy. And believe me: I am not alone on this.

What food WAS the dog on?

Is the dog on fish oil and vitamin E?

What medicated shampoo is it?

What does the pruritis look like? Red? Inflamed? Hair loss?

Where exactly is the spot(s)?

How old is he?

Is there a lot of biting/scratching/rubbing?

Is there any chance he has fleas (even a few)?

How do the insides of his ears look? Any redness or debris?

Get your dog on a all-natural diet - Connie is right SCIENCE DIET is total CRAP - and Vets should be ashamed of themselves for selling it - they PROSTITUE THEMSELVES to this dog food company

Get some PANALOG and use it on the hot spots

A friend of mine recommended the Science Diet Sensitive Skin. She uses it with her poodle that has allergies and said he doing great on it. That's why I bought it.

He was on a cheap food. Alpo come and get it. And some times a Meijer brand. Before that, I had them on very expensive food and when things got tough, couldn't keep up with it.

No, he's not on Fish oil or Vitamin E. Should he be?

Shampoo is Perfect Coat Medicated Shampoo. Relieves itching. With coal tar to heal and refresh skin.

He had his first one under his arm pit. It was really gross! When we found it, it was ozing puss. Had a big ugly black scar. Was inflammed and nasty. This one is on his back about a foot from his rear end. He was messing with his hair so I checked it out. He had it kind of bleading from chewing on it. It is inflammed and bleeding sometimes from his chewing and scratching at it. He can't seem to leave it alone. This morning as I was putting stuff on it {Gold Bond Medicated Powder} I found another starting just below that near his tail more. I have this spray from work that they gave me to put on it also. Said they use that for hot spots and sores etc.

I thought about fleas, but none of my other dogs have them, and I have given him baths and none came off. And I do front line them. Maybe I need to do it again. Haven't done it recently.

His ears look good inside. I never see anything wrong with them except for dirty once in a while from playing in the dirt!

Hope the answers help.

Science Diet is junk food. If you will read the ingredients, I will need to say no more.

Good food does not have to be exensive. SD is very expensive for what it is..... which is crap.

It sounds like he has infections. Pus and bleeding..... he needs help. He needs a vet visit.

Sounds like exzema, and bad food, and maybe fleas or mites.

But PLEASE do not buy any food from the vet's waiting room. NONE.

Please read here:
http://www.leerburg.com/feedingdogs.htm
http://leerburg.com/feedingarawdiet.htm
http://www.leerburg.com/all-natural%20kibble.htm

Dogs need meat. Corn and other grains fed every day by companies saving money by using cheap grains instead of meat cause all kinds of problems, from organ derangement to allergies to terrible skin pruritis (what you are seeing), and more.

So number one is to get a good food (list above), and number two is to start the Panalog and get him to the vet to treat the oozing sores.

Yes, he should be on fish oil and Vitamin E every day. How much does he weigh?

I am starting slowly because you need a ton of info, but I don't want you to be overwhelmed. These steps will start you in the right direction.

Please ask anything you want as you get started. You are in a good place here.

And yes, fleas can definitely trigger the cycle. But that food..... that's crucial to change immedietely.

 Quote: Ed Frawley

Get your dog on a all-natural diet - Connie is right SCIENCE DIET is total CRAP - and Vets should be ashamed of themselves for selling it - they PROSTITUE THEMSELVES to this dog food company

Get some PANALOG and use it on the hot spots

Anna, this says it perfectly about that garbage food.

What is panalog and where do you get it?

 Quote: Anna Hull

What is panalog and where do you get it?

It's a combo of nystatin (antifungal), neomycin (antibiotic), thiostrepton (antibacterial) and triamcinolone acetonide (steroid, anti-inflammatory drug).

It will probably help a lot.

But it will not treat whatever is CAUSING the hot spots, which can be moist exzema, mites, fleas, allergies, self-detructive lick-biting, etc.

My own experience is that fleas and bad food are VERY often the underlying culprit. We know he's on bad food (and has been), and that he might have flea problems. So I would work on the sores, which cause real misery -- unbearable itching and real pain when he scratches at it -- and get the fleas 100% under control, while getting a good food and starting on the fish oil and Vitamin E.

http://www.leerburg.com/47.htm
http://www.leerburg.com/53.htm

Thing is, I haven't found one flea on him though. I even front line him. I did it again, just today. When I bathed him before that, I found nothing on him. or in the water. Guess I could rebathe him with a actual flea shampoo so see if they are just hiding?

That food, by the way:
Ingredients: Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Corn Gluten Meal, Pork Meal, Dried Egg Product, Soybean Oil, Flaxseed, Animal Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Chicken Liver Flavor, Potassium Chloride, L-Lysine, Iodized Salt, DL-Methionine, vitamins (L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement), Calcium Carbonate, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, L-Tryptophan, preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Citric Acid, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Taurine, Beta-carotene, Rosemary Extract.

Not only is meat not in first place....... it's not in 2nd or 3rd place. It's an afterthought.

You are paying top dollar for Brewers Rice, Ground Whole Grain Corn, Corn Gluten Meal. For a dog. This is what I might consider feeding cattle or rabbits.