hot spot - Page 3

Hi all, My puppy looks so much better and has never been febrile and I am considering discontinuing the Clavamox. I understand normally you don't do this but I think she is better from the shaving and cleaning of the area more than anything. I don't see the point to keeping it in her system at this time. I would like your opinions on this. I don't want her body to be used to antibiotics unless it really is necessary.

gsdlvr, It is ABSOLUTELY the WRONG thing to do to discontinue the clavamox. All you have done to date by administering it is to let it begin working. It may have killed some of the bacterial. It likely has NOT killed all the bacteria and to stop it now will allow those it has not killed and which may be a little more resistant or capable of developing resistance to gain the upper hand. Do something like this and you risk an infection that is antibiotic resistant. NEVER, EVER, EVER begin antibiotics and then stop them, in either a human or a dog unless there is a good reason, like a life threatening allergy. I would strongly suggest you tell your vet that YOU are considering stopping it. It is the wrong this to do and hopefully you will listen to some sense. Everyone by age 16 should know better than to start taking an antibiotic and then stopping it. One ALWAYS finishes the course and I have explained why.

Thank you hodie, I will finish them. I guess my thinking was that the hot spot responded to the surgical scrub and topical antibiotic, rather than the systemic one since there were no systemic signs of infection to begin with.

I had a friend who was the chief of dermatology at an large vet school. He himself wasn't sure why some dogs gets hotspots and why some never do get them. It seems to be a combination of factors including humidity, double coats, not drying a dog to the skin when it's bathed, fleas or anything else that can cause an insult to the intgerity of the skin. Some dos seem to be genetically predispoed to the condition, some get them for no apparant reason and there is the occasional dog that gets one or two and that's it. Atopic dogs are more likely to get hot spots from traumatizing the itchy areas by licking and scratching. I don't know how to prevent hot spots from occurring, but if you have a dog that is prone to getting them, omegas might help. I think examining any areas where that dog is scratching is a good way to prevent one from spreading like a wildfire. If you catch them early on, most times washing the area with a gently soap, patting it dry with a paper towel and then spraying the area with witch hazel and immediately sprinkling on Gold Bond medicated powder to make a sort of paste will probably dry them up fast. If you have some prednisone on hand, a 20 mg tablet given daily in the AM for 3,4 days will help ease the itching and the spot will heal quicker. At that dose there shouldn't be any side effects or they should be very mild. If the spot is big and sticky, then you will have to clip the surrounding area to allow the air to get to it. Don't ever try to cover a hotspot, it needs to be exposed to the air to dry and heal. Interesting about the pH of the GSD's skin. Any theories why? It must have something to do with survival?

a friend of mine suggested dabbing hot spots with Listerine and lo and behold it really helped.

Hell-o, My little Westy Poodle mix, gets hotspots. Our vet at the time (we've moved to another state since)when it first happen, said that they were caused from an allergy. It was her and our first time being around Sand Tic's, that is what the vet called them. She is also allergic to fleas and does have food allergies. She was on a leading flea and tic preventative, plus antihistamine, the vet gave her steroid shot for the hotspots, it worked well, and each summer we repeated the process, because the Sand Tics would come out, so we also had to take care of the yard with a solution we got from the vet, that is safe for your animals. Our other dog lab mix was never affected by hotspots. The last time our Westy Poodle mix got hotspots, in a new state now, we use gentomycin from our vet and it worked wonderfully... From what the vet said hotspots are very painful to the dog that gets them... Hope this helps someone... Good luck, Nelly

Oh, I forgot about Listerine. Did you know that it also makes a good coat spray? Doesn't make the coat too soft, leaves no residue, the coat will shine and look a bit thicker. It's a AKC trick, we aren't stupid about everything you know LOL.