Yesterday I noticed a small, dime sized area on Falcon's right rear flank which looked almost like a blister but not filled or oozy. After reading some older posts I've been dabbing it with hydrogen peroxide (on a paper towel) and then applied an anti fungal cream. As of this afternoon, it has worsened; the blistery area is larger and I can see a pretty good sized red area under the surrounding fur. I've made an appointment for a vet check tomorrow at 11:00 am.

In the mean time, if Falcon will let me, I'm going to shave or cut down the fur around the area. I have a human shampoo with Tea Tree oil - should I try to bathe the area with this? I can also apply Gold Bond Powder. Any other ideas?

I've never seen a flea on him or our cats - not one. He is on Frontline but I occasionally find a tick but so far, they have all been dead. Our property is woody, so there are obviously other insects out and about.

He has been on raw chicken quarters for about three weeks now and is doing fine.

The only other thing I can think of which may have caused or exacerbated this is Falcon loves swimming in a small "frog pond" we have. I didn't let him play in the water yesterday or today, but prior to that, when it is hot I let him swim daily at least once. Although I towel him off after each swim, and normally try and let him play outside a bit after wards to further dry off, perhaps too much moisture / humidity could be involved.

Any other ideas or suggestions? What should I be cautious about letting the vet do?? I want it treated obviously, but don't want him pumped full of stuff which can cause other issues.

THANKS!

 Quote: barbara schuler

The only other thing I can think of which may have caused or exacerbated this is Falcon loves swimming in a small "frog pond" we have. I didn't let him play in the water yesterday or today, but prior to that, when it is hot I let him swim daily at least once. Although I towel him off after each swim, and normally try and let him play outside a bit after wards to further dry off, perhaps too much moisture / humidity could be involved.

Hi Barbara,

I don't have hot spot experience with Oscar, but a good friend just went through this with her golden (LOTS of beautiful, thick fur) and she's convinced that her dog's hot spots are pretty reliably caused by "bathing" in our local park swamp. She says her dog would get them every summer, whenever she was allowed to wade and wallow (and consequently get very damp and dirty). Because of this connection, the dog is not allowed to run off leash near the swamp anymore, but she did get in there at some point recently, because she got another hot spot... hers grew to the size of a silver dollar and was definitely oozy and infected by the time they went to the vet.

From what I've read, if you can catch them early, it's simply a matter of keeping the spot clean and allowing it to get as much ventilation as possible (via shaving the surrounding area) so that it has a chance to dry out and scab over. Then you're just dealing with healing an open sore, which happens surprisingly easily with just protected exposure to the air. I would be wary of using a human shampoo on him, even if it did have tea tree oil as an ingredient... human shampoo isn't designed for dogs. Same goes for the gold bond, but I really have no experience with that.

If you DON'T catch it early enough, the spot may become infected (signs of infection would be oozing, swelling and redness) - a proper infection would require the same prelim treatment PLUS antibiotic (oral or topical). I wouldn't expect a vet to suggest anything more dramatic, but if this is the first time Falcon has gotten one, it's wise to consult a vet.

Good luck and best wishes to Falcon . After only a week, and maybe one initial application of an antibacterial ointment, the spot on my friend's golden is looking nearly 100% healed (the hair will need some time to grow back, but at least the scab is gone :grin.

~Natalya

I always used the peroxide and then medicated powder such as Gold bond. It may need more air to it and the cream might be blocking that.
If your still going to let the dog play in the pond I would suggest a good rinse (at least) with a hose when he comes out. Just towel drying wont do it because all the bacteria,etc will just stay on the dog.

Thanks guys. Falcon will be sooo bummed if he can't swim in frog pond the rest of the summer!! I had purchased him a kid's wading pool but the thrill is just not the same! LOL.

I did get the area shaved down last night but decided against the shampooing since I wasn't sure if that was okay. I did dust with Gold Bond powder. It looks okay today - still not oozy so I'm please with that. I'll probably go ahead on to the vet to cover my bases and hope he just tells me to keep doing what I'm doing.

Just my two cents FWIW.

More recent thinking concerning peroxide with humans is to mix it half and half with water (sterile).

Full strength can cause the margins/edges of the sore to not heal.

I think the reasoning is that it keeps it damp (? - can't remember) and can delay healing.

I think last year there was a thread dealing with the peroxide thing. When I get time later I will look it up.

 Quote: Nora Ferrell

Just my two cents FWIW.

More recent thinking concerning peroxide with humans is to mix it half and half with water (sterile).

Thanks Nora. I did not realize this!

The vet was not 100% convinced that the area is a hot spot due to the fact that it was not moist or oozy at all, but didn't rule it out completely. He said there was the possibility that perhaps it was a reaction to an insect bite, although my gut says not. He did give Falcon a shot to relieve any discomfort since the area is very touchy, and put him on prednizone (sp?) for just four days - assuming things improve.

After shaving him down last night and the Bond's Gold Powder, I was relieved to see things had not worsened this morning, so maybe the worst is behind us. :-)

I appreciate all the input.

http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=10&Number=234480&Searchpage=1&Main=22858&Words=hydrogen+Nora+Ferrell&topic=0&Search=true#Post234480

Barbara, finally I found the thread I was looking for about peroxide.

I think this particular one I copied and pasted from a vet/help web site on wound cleaning.

Hope your pup feels better soon.