Mr. Batman developed a half-dollar sized hot spot on his left side a few days ago, while he was at our trainer’s kennel. She rinsed it with saline wound wash, which helped clean out the sore and lessened the discomfort.
It’s still scabby and crusty, and I don’t want it to get infected. Last night, I rinsed it with a 1:10 dilution of apple cider vinegar-to-water mixture. This morning, I rinsed it with saline solution and applied a cool compress of witch hazel.
I also switched his food last night to Honest Kitchen Zeal, which is a fish-based, grain-free raw food that HK recommends for dogs with skin sensitivities.
I’m anxious to get home and check on him. I’m worried that he’s itching and chewing at it while I’m gone — he wasn’t doing this before, but he might if he’s bored. If I don’t see any improvement, I’m going to take him to the vet tomorrow.
Do any of you have experience with hot spots? Should I take him to the vet sooner?
Batman and I thank you for any advice you might have!
Batman, back from boarding last night!
I always used Benadene or Sulfodene on an anti-septic cloth pad to ease the pain and itching. You might have to take him to the vet if it is a bacterial infection so they can give him some antibiotics. Have you checked him for fleas since he got back from the kennels?
Also, if he keeps scratching there it won’t heal and can cause a nasty infection. If you end up needing an Elizabethan collar, you can get this great one from Amazon. Just do a search for “Comfy Cone” and you will see it. The dogs still hate it, but not nearly as much as a plastic one since it’s a soft foam material and they can even use it as a pillow. It also reduces those embarrassing moments where they bonk it on a hallway corner and it stops them in their tracks!
Thanks, Lee! I will be monitoring the Batdog closely.
It is your fault that he has a hot spot. Do you think that Batman didn’t see that blog entry with the postcard from Hawaii? You told him you were going for shots! HA! Now he knows that while you were enjoying the beaches, he could have been visiting Kayla instead of locked in some kennel.
Get some Vetericyn—it is the cure-all wound & infection care spray recommended by Kayla and Aunt Susan. It can be found at a feed store or Tractor Supply. Since you are a city girl, you might need to order it.
http://www.probioticsmart.com/farm/vetericyn-wound-and-infection-spray.html
It IS all my fault! I should not have left him for paradise vacation.
This product looks great. We do have a Tractor Supply up in the country where we do our training, but it’s over an hour drive away, and I’m lazy so I just ordered it from Amazon. It will be here tomorrow!
Yes, my little Amazon Queen—I would expect no less of you!
Shame on you off partying and leaving the Ruler of GC in some stinking Kennel.
You should see Batman right now. He’s nodding his head smugly, going, “uh huh, you hear that, mom? Told ya not to leave me behind!”
Also, he stinks like he always does after a long stay in the kennel, big stinkybutt. Is it safe to bathe him, or should I wait until after the hot spot has healed completely?
Right now it’s in scabby crusty stage. Gross, but it does not appear to be causing him pain.
That’s impossible! My Batling would never stink! Just in case you are telling the truth, give the Ruler of Gotham City a bath and check that he didn’t bring any unwanted pets home.
I agree w/Carole, Vetericyn is great. Just keep it nice and dry and the bat teeth off of it.
I’m with you guys about the Vetericyn–I recommend it. Isa had a cut on her paw (or, maybe it was on her leg?) once, and it worked wonderfully well. Doesn’t seem to sting when it’s sprayed on. We have even used it on human cuts and abrasions.
Spray with athlete foot spray (the kind without the powder in the spray) and it will be gone in a day. Or put on colloidal silver liquid ( the higher ppm the better) and it will be going away within hours. No need for oral antibiotics.
I would not assume it has anything to do with his food when it occurred during a boarding stay.
I have colloidal silver at 30 ppm. I applied some yesterday, but I don’t think it really absorbed — I had a hard time aiming the dropper. I will try again tonight! Thanks Julie.
I agree with the Veticyn, just great stuff to have on hand for ANYTHING, there is also a product that is awesome for rubs and burns, it’s made for horses but you can use it on dogs as well, I have a mare that loves to rub her big buttinsky on the stall wall and she rubbed her big butt cheek raw, I applied MTG on it and it was cleared up in 2 days, it’s stinky stuff, but it’s been a staple amongst horse people for years.
This is one reason I keep Lily on the Fish diet. Also, I will NEVER leave her in a kennel. It may cost more but in the long run having a private sitter come to the house is SOOO worth it!
Oh man, I’d love to leave him with a dog sitter, but haven’t found one I can trust. I had an intro session with a sitter, but got the feeling that she couldn’t really handle him, so I never used her. Overnight dog sitting in DC runs around $100 per day, so I wouldn’t be able to afford it for more than a day or two anyway.
Even though I don’t like to kennel him, I trust our trainer who does the boarding and takes care of the dogs. It’s a small operation on her property, about 10 kennels total, and the dogs eliminate outdoors. We go out there for training every Saturday and I’ve never seen a single soiled kennel — they’re always clean. Nothing fancy, but always clean. Plus, Batty is familiar with her and the place already.
I found a nice, well-run indoor kennel that I considered for him, but it was $80/day, and they required all dogs to be vaccinated for canine influenza, which is not a common vaccine and not something I’d be cool with injecting into him. The staff was so casual about it, like, “Oh, we can give him the vaccine right now, no problem!” with no explanation of what the vaccine was or why it was necessary. I told them I’d think about it and hightailed it out of there!
No experience with hot spot. I have lots of experience with fire ant bites, those pesky things bites Koda…. of course .. where else… around his no no spot. 😀
heehee — oh KODA. Batman’s trainer says the underbelly is often targeted by insects because it’s soft, warm and easy to get to. Also the inside of the ears because they’re huge and packed with blood vessels.
Oh yes, we have lots of experience with hot spots! My GSDs don’t get them but Coke does quite a bit. His hot spots can crop up in minutes and are normally the size of the top of a can of soda or larger. My normal procedure is this…
1. Trim hair from the area
2. Shave around the spot – yes these steps look horrid but it’s REALLY important that the spot be able to air out and not be irritated by hair, I’ve had a few where I’ve waited too long 🙁
3. I clean it by first patting with a clean rag that is damp with warm water and a little bit of dish soap, then I spray with Vetericyn
4. I pat it dry with a soft rag
5. My current favorite treatment is Neo-Predef powder. I pack this on the spot and then make sure the dog can’t lick it off. According to the vet, it’s not harmful to ingest some of the powder but it’s the dog licking the spots that make them worse. Depending on where it is, the dog will wear a cone of shame or a loose t-shirt. The powder contains and antibiotic and an ingredient that helps numb the wound.
If the spot stays white or pinkish and starts scabbing over, I pretty much leave it alone. If it keeps growing, smells really bad, or gets red/inflamed then sometimes we need stronger meds from the vet. One time we did a round of antibiotics and steroids because the spot was so large and growing towards Coke’s anus, which presents other problems like anal gland infections and obvious discomfort.
If you bathe the dog make SURE he gets dry. My GSDs sometimes get little spots that are like hotspots but much smaller and don’t spread or get as weepy as a hotspot. I call them “rotten spots” and they get them from being wet a lot, like when they’re swimming every day on vacation and then never really drying out b/c there is no AC and no high velocity dryer. I’m actually buying a nice dryer now that we have a few more places to swim and are into dock diving.
Thanks, Lies. So helpful, as usual.
I came home from work and it looked like it was healing over and scabbing nicely. I dabbed on some colloidal silver over the scabby area for good measure, but otherwise let it be.
Definitely agree about the wet dog problem. I got this dog robe/towel thing for him called the FurDry made of super absorbent microfiber. He is wearing it right now because we were caught in a downpour on the way home from our walk. GSD fur takes such a long time to dry, and the moisture seems to get trapped in the undercoat if I don’t towel him off well enough.
I have a Metro Air Force dryer for him but he will not tolerate it. I haven’t figured out how to get him to accept being blow-dryed, even at the lowest setting. Whenever he gets near a high velocity dryer, he unleashes his inner crocodile.
Sell it to me, haha! I’m planning to get a Metro one. Nikon doesn’t like it but I think since I’ve used them since I got him (and the ones I used at the pro grooming stations are even more outrageous) he will deal. Luckily he doesn’t get the rotten spots like Pan does, he just gets really stinky/mildew-y after a few days of swimming and hot weather. I also use large box fans in front of my crates and constantly change the crate pads but this summer with several weeks of 100+ temps and humidity and the dogs in the kiddie pools nonstop, I can’t keep them dry without a real dryer.
Pan has rotten spots right now (his spots are about the side of a dime up to a little larger than a quarter). His are different than Coke’s hotspots, which are nothing to mess around with and require treatment right away. Coke’s will literally crop up in minutes, like I’ll run and errand and when I come home I can sometimes smell the spot before I see it 🙁 His coat is very, very different from a GSD (even more complicated to manage) and his hot spots are usually never smaller than the size of your fist and often continue to spread if he’s not immediately shaved and treated. There’s a lot more inflammation and pus. Pan’s rotten spots sort of crust over right away and might be a little weepy and scabby but they don’t seem to irritate him that much and dry up pretty quick (whereas Coke will get nasty mean if another dog comes near his hotspot).
Maybe you should try a gentle leader on him!!! LOLOLOL
Great idea Julie! Colloidal Silver will help with healing and possible infection.You can also try Aloe Vera or Calendula (non-alcohol) as a topical. Give it a few days before going to the vet.
Homeopathics from a health food store (not a GNC):
*Graphites 30 c: if it appears like a sticky discharge, like honey. Could also be a cracked scab.
*Mercurius 30 c: if a greenish/yellowish discharge, possible yellow scab.
Dissolve 4 pellets in 1 tsp. purified water and drizzle on gums. Give away from food 30 minutes. Repeat in 1 hour and evaluate if it’s any better. If not, repeat. You can give 4 to 6 times in a day if severe.
There are others but these 2 remedies sound like they would work for the picture you are describing.
I agree that it is not a food issue.
Keep us posted! 🙂
I will use calendula on sores. Not had any with these guys but had a female years ago with allergies and skin conditions. I would brew a tea for her (my own recipe after trying many variations). I used dried calendula, lavender and mint. (the dried calendula and dried lavender I got from whole foods and the mint from my garden). I poured steeping hot water over it, cooled and drained. Put in a clean spray bottle and keep in refrigerator. Use to clean sores and also seemed to calm her itchiness. The good thing is, even if it doesn’t help, it doesn’t hurt.
I love my dog dryer. Best investment I ever made. Make sure to get one with a no heat setting. The heat will break the guard hairs. I keep mine plugged in by the garage and blow everyone dry when we come back from the beach.