Reoccurring Hotspots - Page 2

Our poor GSDs.  Even with all their health problems, they are still the only breed I would own.  I've had troubles from soft ears, monorchids, to EPI and severe dsplysia.  Skin allergies to chronic ear infections.  The diet is one of the easiest ways I've found to minimize many problems.  It can be frustrating finding a cure for all these ills.  I hope some days our breeds breeders, concentrate on health, as heavily (I know many do) as they do on the looks, structure and character.   Hot spots, thank God are something I've not run across yet!

Please can you tell me how to get spell check to work?? Mine is faded out and not active. 

Marlene:

Thank you for the info on the shampoo, meds and the vendors that sell them.  I know the shampoo that I use on her from the dermatologist has to be left on for 10 minutes and it smells like menthol (I think it's called Sebolux - or something similiar to that).  I'll have to check the active ingredient in it.  It could very well be the same product - just marketed by different companies.

Unfortunately, I know all too well about the depo medrol.  Thankfully, our girl has been steroid free for almost a year now.  She's on Frontline Plus all year long since one of her allergies is fleas.  Her immunuotherapy injections don't countereact for flea bites.

I could never imagine having to even think about putting her down because her hotspots were so severe.  I'm just happy the vet hasn't had to shave the area the last few times to treat the hot spot and the Genesis spray worked...and she kept her fur!

I use a surgical shampoo called Hibicleanse, followed by an whipe with a Tucks medicated pad for the itch.  Then an application of Animax cream to treat the infection and also relieve the itch.  Top this off with an application of Gold Bond Powder to help dry it out.  The spot is usually gone completely in a few hours.  I do not shave the area.

For the most part, I believe that skin conditions/hot spots in the GSD are misdiagnosed as allergies (of whatever origin), Instead, I believe that most moist skin conditions (including FAD--fleas allergy dermatitis) are forms of staph pyoderma.

For example, small red spots may become pimples--usually found on the abdomen (near the genitals) and in the axillary areas (armpits). as well as the chest--most likely a bacterial infection known as Staph pyoderma--very prevalent in the GSD breed. Staph is a normal inhabitant of the skin.

However, Staph tends to proliferate and become pathological when the immune system is challenged--such as following vaccinations. It may also occur during hot  weather when we hose our dogs down with cold water and fail to dry them thoroughly. It frequently occurs during the winter months if the dog is often rain soaked. Moist skin under a layer of thick hair creates an ideal environment for the replication of bacteria. Staph pyoderma may also be found on the tips of the ears because the ears come in contact with the Staph on the belly when the dog is licking and chewing himself. Similarly, you may find lesions near the anus under the tail.

Sometimes, addressing the problem with topical treatment is successful. I suggest frequent baths (be sure to dry the dog thorougly with a blow dryer--if possible) with Eqyss Micro-Tek shampoo and spraying the dog in between baths with Micro-Tek spray. I also apply Happy Jack Pad Kote to moist, stubborn lesions. Pad Kote stains everything purple but kills anything.

Often baths and other topical treatments must be combined with a course of antibiotics. Cephalexin is usually the antibiotic of choice and must be continued for several days after the lesions have healed and the itching has stopped--anywhere from 10-30 days. Occasionally, when the itching is non-stop, the only way to break the itch cycle is to combine the antibiotics with oral anti-inflammatory medication. I have found that Temaril-P is a very effective medication to address extreme itching. Temaril-P is a combination of steroid and antihistamine. It is fairly pricey (~$1.00 per tablet) and must be prescribed by a veterinarian. An adult GSD usually requires 3 Temaril-P twice daily for 4 or 5 days (while on the initial course of Cephalexin).

No, I'm only a retired vet tech--not a veterinarian. However, I have been in the GSD breed since 1964 and have seen my share of Staph pyoderma (which is often not correctly diagnosed by many veterinarians) in our breed.

Our old vet used to tell us to use Preparation H for hot spots and it works like a charm. It is anti-inflamatory and relieves itches. If it is good for our tender butts...

Chris

consider the diet ..a great product is solid golds skin cream..it grows hair back very quickly in my experience..many years ago..diets chaned since then

A raw diet is indeed helpful for skin health--in terms of prevention.

However, everyone (even those with several other breeds) has had success with the treatment I've described above for multiple lesions. I just love the Happy Jack Pad Kote--it kills everything with only  a couple of applications. Futhermore, it covers up the stench of necrotic tissue. A dog will persist licking and chewing at a smelly, weeping lesion--even if it doesn't itch. So what if your purple dog smells like "barbecued dog"!!

I had a friend whose husband was in the foreign service in Africa. She had some sort of creeping crud on her own skin that was responsive to no conventional treatment. She sent off for some Pad Kote--and voila. She also found it effective for use on shingles.

I have no experience with Preparation-H--either personally or for the dogs!

However, I have heard that emu oil is great for hot spots--maybe for hemorrhoids, too.!!

Hey, you gotta visit the Preparation-H website (with 3 people seen scatching their butts on chairs): http://www.preparationh.com/ It's a good thing that these anally-retentive people don't lick and chew at their itchies!

i can see prepration-h- working , its suppose to be good for pimples on people to...takes the swelling and redness out<---learned that on C.S.I........how anyone ever tried diaper rash ointment?if its cause alot by moisture <--bacteria because of moisture, then this would prob help, around here they have stuff called buedreax (spell?) butt paste, suppose to good for everything to do with skin-rashes-dryness, whatever, al-

   so my hubby's grandma has a tiny, long haired dog that has constant skin problems, gets so bad sometimes looks like it has mange,poor thing...took it to vet , they also said alergies...well the dog sometimes smells pretty bad because of it, i guess cause when she scratches with her teeth her spit dries on her fur--makes a bad smell. i would'nt be surprised if it worsen the rashes also....well her daughter bought her arm'n'hammer pet carpet powder and told her it was for the dogs smell...my hubby's grandmother failed to realize that she was suppose to put it on the carpet, she saw the pics of dogs on the container and thought she was suppose to put it directly on the dog...which she did...lol, you would think with the dogs allergies, that this would be very bad, but believe our not, before anyone could  tell her it was for carpet (she had applied it several times) the dog was looking better than she had in years! i think it was the actual baking soda in the arm n' hammer..maybe helped absorb moisture, or maybe since this is a pet "smell" product-it might have something in it that kills the bacteria that causes the bad smell--therefore killing the bacteria causing the hot-spots...

~julie~

What exactly is a hot spot?

My 14 month old gsd seems to scratch a lot .....but I havnt noticed anything I would consider a hot spot.

She seems to itch more when she has been in the water swimming.  Does that make sense?  I stopped taking her in the lake and she seems to scratch less.

I would love for her to swim....but if it means her scratcing all the time she can be a land dog.