got a dog question

[whereswaldo]

anyone know how to get rid of hot spots ozzy gets them everywinter and he quits messing with them by summer but they ook bad hes a white dog and his saliva turns the fur red looks terrible the med they sell smels horrible and he still messes with it any ideas on something i can bathe him in or something that could help i assume he gets dry skin like us ikd took him to the vet a few times over it and they didnt do anything tried switching his food things like that thinking it wa an allery then they said it was a habit they know what it is but i wanna fix it. so suggestions?

 

[Red7ny1]

Found this link online ... maybe it can help you :

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

 

[whereswaldo]

a little i may try the tea.

 

[camimom]

I use this.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3051154&lmdn=Dog+Health+Care

my dog gets some spots too. rubs his face on the carpet cuz it itches, chews his legs...

it smells like vix vapor rub, and looks like vasoline, but best stuff ever! and I saw an imporvment in 2 days!

 

[shaunaroxanne]

I have a white English Bulldog with the same issues. He is allergic to many things. We switched his food to Nutro Natural Choice low fat and it has helped. When he won't stop licking his feet, we put a sock on it. It helps.

 

[pssh]

My dog's skin cleared up right after we fed her high quality dry food instead of that science diet stuff they fed her at the SPCA. Her fur got even nicer when we started feeding her raw. Unfortunately we had to stop feeding raw and her fur is less shiny and we have to clean her teeth manually more now.

 

[K9Luvn]

What breed of dog is it? So at this point you're not sure what is causing the hot spots?

 

[whereswaldo]

not really no i think the last vet settled on habbit after we changed everythying in our life with no change in his hot spots they even put a collar on him the elizabethian one lol 150 lb dog with that on is toooo funny he got stuck to the wall trying to turn in the hall lol the ones on his butt dont bother me because there is no sore or open wound but hes dong it on his ankle and there is a sore there hes a malamute mixbreed mixed with the pan in my arse breed hehehehe imma check into that ointment now maybe he wont eat it but my boy thinks everything tastes like chicken so well see lol i know hell lick off that nasty smlling stuff walmart sells and the other ointments ive gotten at the vet too.

 

[camimom]

not really no i think the last vet settled on habbit after we changed everythying in our life with no change in his hot spots they even put a collar on him the elizabethian one lol 150 lb dog with that on is toooo funny he got stuck to the wall trying to turn in the hall lol the ones on his butt dont bother me because there is no sore or open wound but hes dong it on his ankle and there is a sore there hes a malamute mixbreed mixed with the pan in my arse breed hehehehe imma check into that ointment now maybe he wont eat it but my boy thinks everything tastes like chicken so well see lol i know hell lick off that nasty smlling stuff walmart sells and the other ointments ive gotten at the vet too.

the link I posted is great stuff. I used it on my english setter and my dlh cat.
both had hot spots, or severe scabs from flea allergies.. after 2 days i saw an improvement.
its an antibiotic cream.

it smells like vix vapor rub so im gonna think your dog wont like it..

 

[K9Luvn]

There are several sulfa type products over the counter and that vets sell that help. Other then the ointment there is also liquid type solutions as well as sulfa baths.

Poor Big Dog that has to wear the Cone Of Shame

 

[Elizadolots]

We used to have this problem when we had the goldens. I made a mix of over the counter hydrocortisone, clotrimazole (athlete's foot cream) and neosporin. That took care of hot spots in a couple of days (interestingly, later I added desityn to the mix and used it for my then baby's diaper rash {recipe approved by pediatrician}).

One thing is to hit them as early as possible.

 

[Echoezra]

I kind of deal with this every day for a living. Tell me what you've tried so far with the diet changes. I highly highly recommend a raw diet, usually even when you see "allergies" it ends up being a grain thing, but even when they've narrowed it down to a certain protein type like chicken for example, after getting off that food and taking a break, usually raw chicken is tolerated fine, it's just the processed kibble form they can't handle.
Anyways, even if you dont go for the raw thing right away, I can probably help narrow down what the likely culprit is and recommend another food brand to try.
In the meantime, there are some good videos on YouTube featuring Dr. Karen Becker, a holistic veterinarian. I would search first to see if she has one specifically on hot spots, I havent watched them all yet, but I remember one about dealing with itchy feet and he recommended a few good rinses to make to ease the itching.
If there are hot spots happening, treating the symptom is going to continue to be a very temporary fix. You need to deal with the internal
cause. I'm sure the vet will be very happy to continue to supply you with creams and steroid shots and anti anxiety meds and all this other crap that just causes other problems long term and keeps driving you back there. Lol. Because their prescription "hypoallergenic"garbage food that's still full of grain and byproducts didnt fix the problem so it must be the dog's fault. Sigh.
Anyway. Yes. If you tell me in more detail what food you were originally feeding, what you then tried and for how long, any treats or chew things you've been giving at any point, I can narrow down what the likely problem areas are, and recommend what you should try.
I have an allergic dog myself, so ive done years of research on the subject, i feel bad for itchy puppies, and would be happy to help if i can. Let me know.

 

[whereswaldo]

well he started on science diet large breed puppy then to adult the no a nutro duck and rice food i think it was ive tried the science diet alergy kind now we just feed him purina large breed adult i dont really think its his diet i dont know what it is because aanother thing i deal with is ear infections they say the 2 may be coincedence or maay be connected. the fact that they come and go makes me think its not the food and to be honest i think they charge me per pound for my beast lol i have to many times spent all my money and made our household suffer over a stupid hot spot that the vet doesnt fix. there ointments and savs dont help only the steroids i want a perminate solution a bath to condition and soothe or something?

 

[Echoezra]

Common denominator in all those foods, is grain. It's the most common culprit I've seen when talking with probably a hundred people over the last couple years who were dealing with various signs of skin or ear issues, I recommended a grain-free approach and almost all of them came back to thank me as to the huge improvement they saw in the allergic symptoms, not to mention improvements in coat condition, shedding, smell, weight issues, etc. a huge portion of the time all that stuff is related to grain. Occasionally things improve but dont get completely better on a grain free kibble, sometimes kibble itself is still too processed for very sensitive dogs, in which case a raw diet is the solution. Raw is the best solution for any dog, period, but sometimes the simple quick solution is just to switch to a grain-free kibble.

 

[K9Luvn]

Common denominator in all those foods, is grain. It's the most common culprit I've seen when talking with probably a hundred people over the last couple years who were dealing with various signs of skin or ear issues, I recommended a grain-free approach and almost all of them came back to thank me as to the huge improvement they saw in the allergic symptoms, not to mention improvements in coat condition, shedding, smell, weight issues, etc. a huge portion of the time all that stuff is related to grain. Occasionally things improve but dont get completely better on a grain free kibble, sometimes kibble itself is still too processed for very sensitive dogs, in which case a raw diet is the solution. Raw is the best solution for any dog, period, but sometimes the simple quick solution is just to switch to a grain-free kibble.

I have been fallowing what member Echoezra is telling you and she is offering you great advice and obviously has much experience in dog food ingredients and skin allergies. I have to agree with her on all of it. I do not personally feed RAW but I am all about grain free. I know you feel you are offering quality dog foods... but the brands you have tried really are a lot of commercial hype and not what is really in them.

 

[luvzebra3]

Have you done any allergy testing? Then you will know for sure what is causing the problems. They test for food and environmental allergies. Usually if a problem persists into the winter, it points to food allargies or less often to some kind of contact allergy. When doing a food trial you need to feed a new protein and a new grain - for instance duck & potato and feed ONLY that food for a minimum of 8 weeks to see any improvement. No treats, no rawhides, no nothing except the particular food!
There are also different antihistamines you can try if one is not working for you, but again you must keep ahead of the game with those and give them consistantly.
Allergies are a big problem and take alot of time & effort for owners to keep under control, but once you find the right balance both you and your dog will be much happier.
If the problem is licking out of habit, some dogs do it out of boredom or stress too. Covering the area, distraction, or a foul tasting spray can help keep him from doing it. My dog is a stress licker so badly that I had to put him on Prozac - he's much less neurotic now

 

[Hoj]

im in a rush so i skipped to the end but. with my dog i use to have this issue i switched her to a high end grain free food and its been gone since.
also dairy is another thing i have to aviod with my dog

 

[whereswaldo]

yea guys i tried getting rid of the grain only thing i havent tried is raw i have a 150 lb dog id cost me a fortun to feed only meat plus my boy is a wolf mix always cooked anything he got didnt want to give him a taste for blood
maybe thats silly.
what spray did you guys use can it be ordered online?
never done an alergy test. they never recomended it for me so im assuming it must cost an arm nd a leg i dont want my boy to be lacking medical attention if hes bad off but if its some licking thats the problem i cant spend a ton on it. i have so many times for nothing. idk i was hopeing you guys might have a remedy since hot spots have been out there forever. one reason i dont think hes really got a problem is he only licks it not relly chews no open spot just hairless in that spot. not trying to be a cheap ass its just so far they keep saying what you guys are at the new vets office like they cant hear that the vet has once already changed all his food and didnt allow me to give him any treats that were processed. weve changed the protien and carb. didnt do any good and he hated the taste. and still licked. ive been dealing with this 8 years guess ill just keep treating them like i am?
the prozak worked well i put him on it for anxiety because he eats couchees and door facings when you leave him alone its gotten beter the last year but those meds made him act so funny i cant remember if it helped any hotspots dont think he had any so maybe it did and i didnt realize

 

[whereswaldo]

i dont think i seen your responce before elizadots im going to give that a shot ty for your suggestion

 

[justjumpit621]

I am a groomer and we use a shampoo called furst aid from petedge.com followed by an oatmeal shampoo. It works really well, it's medicated and helps soothe hot spots and dry skin.