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Irritated spots...?

Sharpset62

Sharpset62

Active Member
My boy Sam, 8 month old BM about 90lbs has developed several patches of raw irritated skins spots that are super itchy for him when touched. He has two on his back and several small areas on his head and neck. We called the vet and should be in to see him tomorrow or Friday. In the meantime I have been applying Bag Balm to the bigger spots on his back. Hopefully the picture helps...

He currently eats TOTW Sierra Mt twice a day getting 2.5 cups each meal with a fish oil pill in each sitting. His bowl movements are regular and firm and he gets ample water throughout the day.

Now...my wife just recently bought treats for Sam and our Beagle "Belle" and on accident forgot about the "Allergies" that come with the BM's. I forgot about it and apparently she has been supplementing these on a regular basis and they are loaded with grain and chicken. The only other treat he has been exposed too other than the new ones from my wife is a bag of Roasted Pig ears.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm afraid of the antibiotic dump my vet may want to explore and not sure what is causing this, treatment and preventative... please help.

Another thing...He has been swimming quite a bit in our pool, could that be it??? Exposure to the chlorine??

Thanks Joe
 

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Sharpset62

Sharpset62

Active Member
Yea was just reading up on hot spots...jeeez. Ok, so the bag balm is not a good idea and I need to dry it out correct?
 
angelbears

angelbears

Well-Known Member
Hot spots and they can be caused by just about anything. Allergies, fleas and swimming. After he swims if you don't dry him off really good, moisture can get trapped between his fur and skin causing hot spots. If you can clip all the hair around the spots and clean with chlorohex or betadine. Yes, the vet will RX antibiotics and more than likely steroids. Personally, I wouldn't use them but I'm not a vet.

You can also use a warm or cold wet compress for relief every couple of hours. Some dogs do better with warm others do better with cold. Trial and error. Dry after each time. Vetericyn is also a good product, I think you can get it from Amazon or your vet. You can also give benedryl to help with scratching.

Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Sharpset62

Sharpset62

Active Member
Just read this...clean with 50/50 luke warm H2O and peroxide, dry and then treat with medicated Gold Bond powder.
 
Kahuna

Kahuna

Well-Known Member
Peroxide is fine but it has a short active life on the skin. Use the standard 3% solution neat. If you have 35%, dilute it more than 50/50.

Better off with chlorhexidine if you can.
 
ruby55

ruby55

Well-Known Member
One of our bm's, Bella, seems to constantly fight hot spots. And the pic you posted is definitely a hot spot. Bella just went through a period where she was fighting 4 at once. She had a bath; I think she was not dried well enough.
Anyways, we use this powder called McKillips Dusting Powder. It's a topical made for horses, but we find it works very well on various abrasions that the dogs get. It's an antiseptic and astringent. It dries, & medicates. It evidently tastes pretty bad, too. :) Here's a site for description: McKillip's Dusting Powder Veterinary Information from Drugs.com
I can't remember where we got it from the last time we ordered it; we get 6 bottles at time because it's so cheap. But here's a site where you can get it:
Mckillip's Dusting Powder, Disinfectants Antiseptics| Wound Care , | Allivet Trusted Pharmacy

 
Sharpset62

Sharpset62

Active Member
angelbears said:
Hot spots and they can be caused by just about anything. Allergies, fleas and swimming. After he swims if you don't dry him off really good, moisture can get trapped between his fur and skin causing hot spots. If you can clip all the hair around the spots and clean with chlorohex or betadine. Yes, the vet will RX antibiotics and more than likely steroids. Personally, I wouldn't use them but I'm not a vet.

You can also use a warm or cold wet compress for relief every couple of hours. Some dogs do better with warm others do better with cold. Trial and error. Dry after each time. Vetericyn is also a good product, I think you can get it from Amazon or your vet. You can also give benedryl to help with scratching.

Good luck and keep us posted.
Click to expand...

Makes sense...its been hot here and we have just been relaxing by the pool and he takes it upon himself to come in or out. Then he will lounge on the deck so NOT getting completely dry may be it. Thank you guys for the help.
 
Sharpset62

Sharpset62

Active Member
Ok... so we got back from the Vet today and he stated the "hot spot" on Sam was bad and if it continued the way it was going he could potentially get a staff infection. He prescribed 20mg tablets of Prednizone and a antibiotic "Cephalexin" 500 mg tablets. Prednisone, he directed us to give half a pill twice daily for 3 days, then half daily for three days and finally a half twice weekly until gone. Cephalexin, he directed...one tablet three times a day.

He also stated the peroxide wash and gold bond treatment would not aid in the healing process due to its size and state.

The rash is getting bad and has spread from behind the shoulder up to his neck. Raw, smelly and nasty! Very painful for him and it oozes like a sib...any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated. The gold bond powder was turning into concrete on his fur do to the oozing pus. Dr. stated we could keep using the gold bond but without the Prednisone it will get worse. Thanks Joe
 
NYDDB

NYDDB

Well-Known Member
Mateo had a hot spot a few days ago- it was about the size of a half dollar coin. I put hydrogen peroxide on it first, followed by diluted Povidone Iodine. Stopped it dead in it's tracks. Now it has healed and formed a small scab, which I am treating with coconut oil.

Here is a helpful link: Causes, Treatment and Prevention of Dog Hot Spots
 
NYDDB

NYDDB

Well-Known Member
Also, I did not need to clip away any fur; I would have if what I tried didn't work at first.

Mateo has been visiting fountains and sprinklers a lot during these hot days---and no, I wasn't drying him off as I should have. My bad. :(
 
angelbears

angelbears

Well-Known Member
I'm not a vet and I hate the over use of antibiotics and steroids. If it is as bad as the vet proclaims you might go ahead with his protocol. However, if it comes back try to catch it very early and use some of the suggestions above. Hot spots can come up very quickly but they can also go away very quickly. Did the vet clip the area and did he suggest a probiotic to take when taking the antibiotics? He should have. I would be calling back and asking why and questioning his abilities.

If they come back and the over the counter stuff doesn't work you might want to check into an Homeopathic vet. The up front money was more expensive but in long run it is about the same as using a local vet. I spent 2 years forcing antibiotics and pred into my boy. His skin problems would go away but come back and come back worse each time. I wish I would have stopped the drugs after the first round. Instead I ruined his immune system.

NYDDB replied while I was typing this. You might try that first.

If it was just moisture getting trapped in his fur, if you keep him dried off then, hopefully, you shouldn't have any more problems.
 
Sharpset62

Sharpset62

Active Member
Well, the Vet did not suggest a probiotic with the antibiotics and this definately has me concerned. I will call him tomorrow and ask some more questions and will advise what he has to say. Thanks again for all the help, Sam and Family appreciate it!
 
Lindsay

Lindsay

Well-Known Member
My bullmastiff just went through this, the vet prescribed cephalexin antibiotics and a
Topical ointment called panalog, after 3 days it's healing up nicely and they were quite large and severe
 
Sharpset62

Sharpset62

Active Member
Sorry took so long for an update but Sams horrible hot spot is fully healed and fur is back in order. Didnt show any side effects with the steroid and antibiotics. Thanks for all the advice! My wife thinks the pool caused it and I believe it was the 150 chicken treats she decided to treat him with over a couple weeks. Ha, lesson learned either way and no how to handle one in the future. Thanks again Joe
 
M

musicdeb

Well-Known Member
Sharpset62 said:
Sorry took so long for an update but Sams horrible hot spot is fully healed and fur is back in order. Didnt show any side effects with the steroid and antibiotics. Thanks for all the advice! My wife thinks the pool caused it and I believe it was the 150 chicken treats she decided to treat him with over a couple weeks. Ha, lesson learned either way and no how to handle one in the future. Thanks again Joe
Click to expand...
Good to hear that Sam is aok now! hahahahahaha @ 150 chicken treats.
 
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