Hi all,

I hope someone can help me. My 3 yr old GSD, Roxie, has allergies. This morning I noticed she was licking her tail in one particular spot. When I looked at where she was licking, there was a place about the size of a dime, all the hair was still in place, but it looked raw. There was a gob of matted hair, about the same size on the side of it. It had no odor. Could this be a hot spot starting? If it is, can I treat this myself or should I take her to the vet? When I get home this afternoon, I'm going to trim all the hair away from it so it can breath and clean it with Witchhazel. Is there anything else I should do?

Thanks in advance

Go to the vet right now. It could be a parasite or bacteria that has infected your dog. Take a fecal sample with you.

If this is your first hotspot (or the dogs) go to the vet to have them take a look at it.

Quinn gets them if he gets a flea bite. The treatment is typically to shave the area and keep it clean and dry. There are a lot of different products to help with the drying, but shaving the area is the number one… My favorite is NeoPredef powder because it dries the area, has an antibiotic in it, and a corticosteroid to control the itching and inflammation.

I treat at home and they can clear up as quickly as they appear.

*I am not a vet, but we have LOTS of fleas in the area and bites happen despite all preventative measures... We deal with them 5 or so times a year. *

 Quote: Francie Hallings

Hi all,

I hope someone can help me. My 3 yr old GSD, Roxie, has allergies. This morning I noticed she was licking her tail in one particular spot. When I looked at where she was licking, there was a place about the size of a dime, all the hair was still in place, but it looked raw. There was a gob of matted hair, about the same size on the side of it. It had no odor. Could this be a hot spot starting? If it is, can I treat this myself or should I take her to the vet? When I get home this afternoon, I'm going to trim all the hair away from it so it can breath and clean it with Witchhazel. Is there anything else I should do?

Thanks in advance

Also:
When you say she has allergies, how do you know? I'm sorry if there has been a thread and I don't recall it.

Is the spot near the base of the tail or the end? Does the dog have fleas (meaning even one)? Is the dog on flea meds? (The tail is a particularly common area for flea-hypersensivity-type allergies, but have you actually had an allergy diagnosis, is it seasonal, etc., etc.?)

Is she on anything like antihistamines for the allergies? (I'm, asking, exactly what is the allergy story? )

In regard to the allergies, what brand of food do you feed?

Thanks for the responses. Sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you. It was crazy here at work yesterday and I left early to take Roxie to the vet.

It’s definitely a hot spot, our first one. They shaved and cleaned the area. Roxie’s on Clavamox, twice daily for 10 days, I got an ointment (OxyDem?) to put on it 3 times a day for 10 days and keep her from licking it. I have to give her Hydroxyzine on a regular basis for the next few days. I usually just give that when the itchiness gets really bad. I also took in a stool sample and it was normal.

The hot spot is on her tail about ½ way down and on the left side. She never messes with her tail that’s why I looked at what she was licking. Both my dogs are on Frontline Plus and I’ve never seen a flea or any signs of a flea on either one of them. I do regular checks because fleas really love me!!! I can definitely sympathize with having fleas.

I’ve never had an allergy diagnosis done. She does have dry skin, especially in the winter. She’s on salmon oil and vitamin e for that. It could be flea hypersensitivity, but she never chews at the base of her tail or that region. It could be seasonal allergies, but the truth is, I really don't know for sure.

She does rub her face in the grass and rolls in the grass. Occasionally, she bites the tops of her feet. She does break out with tiny pimple like things on the sides of her stomach, in front of her hind legs on the inside of that flap of skin. Sorry, don’t know what the name of that is or if it has a name. The vet said that was pyoderma. When she breaks out with this, the itchiness is pretty bad.

She has acne, but has only broken out 3 times since she was 8 wks old and only one pustule each time. The last time she had that was last October. Every 3-5 months, she’ll lose the hair in one tiny spot on her face. The vet said that it’s probably localized demodectic mange and gave me Goodwinol ointment to put on the spots as necessary. She does scratch her neck and shoulders. There for awhile, she was scratching the backs of her ears. So much so that the hair was thinning out. But the hair has grown back now. I think that was dry skin, because the skin on her ears was kind of flakey like, looked like dandruff. She also gets tiny bumps on the inside edge of her ears. Currently, she doesn't have any.

Her sleep is not interrupted by the scratching/biting. I just try to keep her comfortable and not seeming like she's going to gnaw off a limb. By the way, both dogs eat Timberwolf.

What are you feeding?

I don't think this is a food allergy, but I do think this dog could use some immune support via a better diet, with the volume of dermotological issues it is experiencing.

(I'd also ask your vet to refer you to a Derm vet for confirmation and treatment of all these various problems.)

 Quote: Alyssa Myracle

... (I'd also ask your vet to refer you to a Derm vet for confirmation and treatment of all this various problems.)

So would I. Having gone this route with adopted dogs surrendered for health reasons and many many dogs I know or have helped with on forums, I say without reservation that a derm vet is going to save money in the long run, not cost more, and also save the dog misery.

This is a specialty that a GP vet cannot be expected to stay abreast of.