Falcon started a "hot spot" on the thigh of one back leg yesterday and it looks pretty raw and a bit "oozy" tonight. I've trimmed the fur back but am uncertain as to if I should put a medicated powder or ointment on it? He is showing no other symptoms - not licking feet, rubbing face, etc... just this hot spot. NO changes to diet or environment - same ol' same ol' on all fronts.

Any suggestions before I take him to the vet? I checked out the other "licking" thread and can also rule out lack of exercise... Every Chuckit Flying Squirrel we own is on it's third or forth layer of Gorilla tape!

I have used Wonder Dust (brand: Farnam) on hot spots, to dry them out & allow them to heal, on my dogs. It is basically a horse product but works on granulated tissue which can be caused in dogs by persistant licking. I have not found that my dogs lick & ingest this.

I also use Quantum Pet Cream which is a natural antibiotic, that is for hot spots. It is a save I get from my homepathic vet.

Also tobasco around the perimiter hair works to discourage licking.


Also tobasco around the perimiter hair to discourage licking.

Hi Barbara! I haven't seen you for a while! Sorry Falcon has a hot spot - I hate those with all my being! Our golden before Kasey got zillions of them -she was an allergy dog, but worse than Kase.

I really like using the extra strength gold bond powder. I tried EVERYTHING on her, and that really dried them up and got them healing quick. She seemed to leave it alone a lot better with it on too. It has to be this green one
http://www.drugstore.com/gold-bond-extra-strength-triple-action-medicated-body-powder/qxp14162?catid=195677&fromsrch=double+strength+gold+bond

The other thing I've used that's my second choice is this
http://www.amazon.com/Veterinarians-Best-Spot-Relief-Spray/dp/B0002AQM9G
It's tea tree oil and aloe - seems to make them feel better, but doesn't dry it up as fast as the powder.

We'll see what other people think too! I think it's the menthol in the gold bond that makes them leave it alone a little better. It has zinc and I think that's what dries it up.

Thanks Anne and Lori. I have the Gold Bond powder in the house so I just put that on and I'll look for the other products to have on hand as well.

WHAT causes these things??

 Quote: Barbara Schuler

WHAT causes these things??

Usually the dog causes most of it, although allergies and/or an unusual number of staph bugs and/or a fungal overgrowth can get it started. (The staph theory is shaky, though, because most dogs with similarly larger populations of Staphylococcus on the skin do not have hot spots.) They are called atral lick dermatitis for a reason.

They are something to watch for and nip in the bud, because of the major OCB component.

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dogdiseasesh/a/hotspots.htm

Even though this is from Wikipedia and not a vet manual or site, this is a pretty good overview that recaps what many small animal derm manuals say:

" ... Lick granuloma is a form of self-trauma in which animals, particularly dogs, continuously lick a small area of their body until it becomes raw and inflamed. The most common areas affected are the lower (distal) portions of the legs. The most common cause of lick granuloma appears to be psychological, related to stress, boredom or compulsiveness. It is often considered to be a form of canine obsessive-compulsive disorder, but other less common causes include bacterial or fungal infections, trauma causing nerve damage, allergies, or joint disease. Hot spots may also lead to the formation of lick granulomas. Many large breed dogs appear to be predisposed."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lick_granuloma


Also see

http://www.skinvetclinic.com/pdfs/acrallickdermatitis.pdf

http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/applied-ethology/behaviourproblems/lickderm.html

http://www.animalhealthcare.com/handouts/dogs/acrall1.htm

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/treatment-of-lick-granuloma/page1.aspx

Personally, I like prednisone for these.

As Betty says, this is one of those acute problems where a short pred protocol can be a magic bullet to break a bad cycle ......



JMO! And I'm no fan of indiscriminate steroid use.

Thanks Connie for the links. After reading them -

I have to go with either allergies or fungal infection. No doubt in my mind this is not related to an ocd or stress issue - this is just too laid back of a dog and nothing in his life has changed. I'm home all day and he is exercised/played/walked numerous times during the day - so all those issues I can rule out. He is happy, plays/exercises till tired then sleeps till we go out again.

I can't rule out allergies or a fungal issue, so, to the vet we go. The area is on the thigh. He keeps licking off the Gold Bond so I took a q-tip and dabbed hot sauce on the fur around - but I was very cautious as I know getting any on the raw area would burn like heck...

He is sacked out as we speak so that is a good thing.

Thanks again guys.

eta: Thanks Dr. Betty - you popped in while I was typing.

I asked my derma vet about hot spots a couple years ago. Thank God Kasey has only had one, and that was several years ago, but I wanted to know what she thought since I had dealt with soooo many on our other dog - I was paranoid that Kasey would start getting them too. We had to put t-shirts on our prior dog a lot of the time to keep her from biting.

Anyway, the derma said a lot of the same things Connie did. She also added that she sees a lot of hot spots start from a flea bite too. The flea bites, the dog itches, he bites at it, it gets bacteria in it and off we go.

Regarding the allergy thing, it works the same way she said, The dog will get a little spot where he is itching, and he will chew at it, and then the bacteria gets it going. She said the way she treats hot spots, is if it gets bigger than a nickle, it will most likely get bigger due to the dog's licking/chewing, so she often puts them on a course of antibiotic and a few days of steroid at the beginning to get the itching down so they'll leave it alone. She also tells people to go ahead and spray it with cortisone spray, let that dry, and then sprinkle on some gold bond.

I almost started an 'I hate hot spots' club when we had our other dog!!

Let us know what the vet does Barbara!