Hot spots
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| Calling the vet is a good idea. Best to head this off quickly.....save the hair from being shaved if possible. Getting the area hair free is usually the first step.....allowing the area to dry. Antibiotics oral and topical .....good chance....if the infection has started. Might also be comething caught up in there that needs removing......foxtail. Matted hair might have been all there is.....hopefully. As what to apply they won't like...the kicker is you don't want to wrap this incase it is hotspot and need to dry. Vicks Vapor rub around the spot, but not on? We need to develop a cage that fits around the paw, allows them to walk, allows air in but keeps their tongue out! And is unedible/unchewable. |
The vet is probably a good idea to get something to heal it....but James may need to wear the cone of shame to keep away from it  Tay scraped one of his paw pads and was licking it....we tried to keep a sock on it, and managed long enough for it to heal  The hot spot may be more of a draw than his scrape, though. |
Thanks. It is not a hot spot yet, trying to head that off. Going to get some fresh Tea Tree Oil as mine has lost some of its potency. Also going to try an antibiotic ointment but I have to keep him away from it for awhile. Thought I could put it on while I was grooming because I had some control. Vets office said maybe try some Bitter Apple. Any thoughts on whether that would sting? They said the key is to keep him away from it. They get obsessed with it and turn nothing into a great big something!! I think that the little mats between his toes started the whole thing. He was trying to get them out and only made them bigger and worse.  |
| Sandy: If you can put some cortaid on it that will help with the itching & healing. You will have to put an elizabethn collar on him tho' so he can't get to it. Otherwise you might try some Gold Bond Medicated Powder (Green plastic can). That works pretty well too & if they lick it , won't hurt them but they won't lick twice because it tastes terrible. If it gets worse, take him in to the vet as he may need an oral antibiotic to kick butt. |
| I keep a little bottle of topical Neo-Predef powder on hand. (It does require a prescription.) It dries the area and contains an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic. Always use a barrier too because all it takes is a few minutes distraction and they can make a mess of things. If it's not yet weepy (sticks well to moist areas), it doesn't cling as well but have still used it in the past to head off problems. Good stuff... have avoided oral antibiotics all together since reading about it 4-5 years ago here- http://www.vetinfo.com/dencyclopedia/dehotspot.html Product Info: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... D552563573 |
| Thanks for all the suggestions. I have used all of them! James went to the vet yesterday and we had a go around because he wanted to shave his foot. I want to try to heal it without drastic measures! So, he is on oral antibiotics, the Neo-Predef powder and an ecollar. I also had to get in there and do some strategic trimming. Trimmed down to the skin in a small area but wearing the collar is what got him to leave it alone. I am hoping as soon as the antibiotic kicks in it won't itch as much and he will leave it alone. I think it's called a moist dermatitis and keeping it dry is a trick. It looks better today, not as inflammed so here's hoping for healing! Thanks for all the advice. [img]  [/img]Unhappy Camper  |
Good luck with the healing. My vet is always very good about not shaving if at all possible when he knows I am showing a dog. He gets pretty talented at it.  Poor James, he looks so sad . don't let those get to you. |
| Poor baby! Sandy, I was shopping with some show people some time earlier this year and they swore by something called colloidal silver for hot spots and even superficial cuts and the likes (I think I spelled that right) I've never tried it, bought a small bottle, can't for the life of me find it, but I got it from LDCs, so if you get desperate and can't find it anywhere else you can order it online or get a WI friend to pick some up for you. Fingers crossed it clears up quickly I don't think I could stand looking at that unhappy face for very long  KB |
| I think colloidal silver is a white cream that is also used for burns. I am hopeful the antibiotics will work. He does look so sad but is learning to handle the collar and judge the extra space needed to go around things or through the door. He also rests comfortably with it. It's always something . . |
Poor James  Hope he heals up fast  Taylor thinks he looks great in the cone |
MomPoorman wrote: I think colloidal silver is a white cream that is also used for burns. I am hopeful the antibiotics will work. He does look so sad but is learning to handle the collar and judge the extra space needed to go around things or through the door. He also rests comfortably with it. It's always something . . It's known as silvadene cream - we use it on humans for burns. It has soothing and antiseptic properties. |
| Poor James! He looks very sad that he has to wear that collar. Hope his foot gets better fast. Cindy |
| Those "lampshades" as we call them are a blooooooming nusiecense-An O.E.S can cause enough devestation without one of those on. They do a good job though. Hope James doesn't have to wear it for to long. Our previous fluffy hated them and sat so muddled looking!!x |
| Well, the paw is healing but as soon as James gets a chance he is licking it. Not obsessively like before, but enough to get the area moist. Any suggestions on something to cover it? I pulled the top hair on his leg back with a hair tie today to keep the area exposed to the air but am thinking a baby sock with the toe cut off or maybe a wrap bandageto hold the long hair off his toes? Keeping it dry is a chore. Of course it must be the front foot that is right in front of his face! A couple nuzzles, not even licking, with a wet beard and the area is wet! Collar helps, but I do take it off to eat and if he's outside playing. Good news is the area does not look inflamed and has scabbed over. Bad news is he has also gotten diahrrea from the antibiotic. Now we're having fun! |
| Ugh... Chewie had a interdigital phlegmon a couple years ago - and he was licking it like crazy (front foot too)! He had it lanced, and then was on oral ABX and a fungicide. Nasty all the way around - poops, and the fungicide made him vomit for the 1st and only time in his life. To keep it away from him, my vet had me wrap it in gauze kerlex (or could use cotton gauze squares). I made sure I had some of it packed between the toes, so skin wasn't touching skin - it would stay moist if that happened. Then wrap it in Vetwrap (The colored wrap that stretches and clings to itself). I changed it daily. The gauze absorbed any moisture. I did have to add a little tape to it, as he did try to unwrap it a few times - but he did leave it alone for the most part.  Also - when I was right there, I left it open to air...maybe half hours or so. No cone needed |
MomPoorman wrote: Well, the paw is healing but as soon as James gets a chance he is licking it. Not obsessively like before, but enough to get the area moist. Any suggestions on something to cover it? I pulled the top hair on his leg back with a hair tie today to keep the area exposed to the air but am thinking a baby sock with the toe cut off or maybe a wrap bandageto hold the long hair off his toes? Keeping it dry is a chore. Of course it must be the front foot that is right in front of his face! A couple nuzzles, not even licking, with a wet beard and the area is wet! Collar helps, but I do take it off to eat and if he's outside playing. Good news is the area does not look inflamed and has scabbed over. Bad news is he has also gotten diahrrea from the antibiotic. Now we're having fun! Add a probiotic to his food for the diahrrea. It will not interfere with the anti-biotic. I asked my vet once before about this because antibiotics do this to my dogs too. I think it is better uncovered. I had a girl once who had to wear a cone for about 2 months due to some multiple surgeries. It only came off when she was within eyesight of me & that included when she ate. She learned very quickly to run full-tilt & not bang into anything. |
 I have been treating the diarrhea with Tylosin powder and a bland diet. I do have some probiotics that I can add to his food, too. Two months!! I don't think I could stand it. He is pretty good at getting around however he had the collar on when he was outside with Mellie this morning and I saw them playing tug with it! It must have unsnapped. Grabbed it before it was damaged. This too shall pass. Quickly, I hope.  |
| Sandy, try the Gold Bond Powder if you have not already done so. Try a little of the Bentagen Topical spray if all else fails/ Have you tried the cortisone cream? When all else fails try a spray of white vinager and water then dry. |
As for the cone...........we had to finally put zip ties thru the holes to keep it from opening up. Dogs learned how to stand while it was slipped over the head & brace when it was pulled off. Amazing what they will do for you. Only thing I really felt bad about was I had to regulate when the water bowl was with them. I had to make sure both the cone & the water bowl weren't with the dog at the same time  Now I will say: amazing what WE won't learn to do for our dogs! |
Thanks again for all the advice. Today James is not licking his paw at all and no cone on his head. Foot is dry and must be healing or he would be licking it. When I look at it, it is not as sensitive and is dry. Hopefully it will just continue to heal.  |
 So glad to hear it's healing!Cindy |
| So sorry I found this late. In case of a relapse or another incident, maybe this will help. Use a layer (or double it if you need to) of a panty hose foot and put tape around the top. It keeps it covered so they can't lick it and the air can still circulate. I had a dog who would get hot spots easily, so I learned to manage them quite successfully in our 17 years together. When you first notice the licking I used an athletes foot cream treatment and then covered it with AF powder - then cover the foot in a pantyhose cover. Though unless it's a chronic condition, the first stop should always be the vet. Tell the vet your dog is in "show coat" and can't be shaved!  Glad to hear James is on the rebound! |
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