# Hot Spots just won't go away! :(



## angie339 (Jul 29, 2009)

Hi all, 

I have a 10 year old lab mix rescue, Penny - super sweet pup. I've had her since she was 6 months old and she's never had any skin issues until this past October. I let my mom take her to a new groomer and after that, all hell broke loose on her skin. She developed a horrible rash and what looked like sores on her back. I took her to the vet who shaved the affected area, put her on antibiotics, gave her a shot of steroids and sent us on our way. The sores dried up shortly thereafter and I thought we were done with the problem.... Until she started developing hot spots in other places of her back!

Since then, we've had to take her back to the vet countless times, have gone off and on antibiotics. The vet has injected her with steroids and has sent me home with Benadryl (now recommends Zyrtec). The hot spots will usually dry up and disappear while she's on the antibiotics but a few weeks after she's off, they're back! The vet recommended Royal Canin Limited Ingredient Diet food so she's on that right now. She doesn't eat people food and we have restricted her treats to none right now. 

The vet initially ran blood work - she thought it might be her thyroid (or cushings disease) - but everything came back normal. Skin scrape and allergy test is next but it's so expensive. I"m hoping maybe there's something I can do for her at home that'll take care of the problem before we go that route. 

I've read that Apple Cider Vinegar works so I've been diluting it with water and spraying it on her about 2 times a day. I've also tried Aloe straight from the plant. That works nicely but then a new hotspot will pop up somewhere else! She is getting regular weekly baths now with some ACV sprayed into her coat as a leave in rinse after her bath. It seems to calm the skin a bit for a while...until another one pops up somewhere else. 

I am nearing the end of my rope and poor Penny looks so miserable. 

Any suggestions?


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## RedChase (Mar 13, 2011)

You may need to go to a Dermatologist. Your vet was trying to get rid of the hot spots ASAP. IMO (im NO expert) i would not have taken the steroids, they lower the immune system which allows the bacteria to grow on your dogs skin. If you see improvement with the ABS (antibiotics) then your on the right track, STAY on those ABS for a few months, this will ensure that you kill off the bacteria. This comes with drawbacks, it also kills good bacteria, so supplement your dog with probiotics while on this treatment. Keep the affected areas shaved and dry, if the area is really pus filled and inflammed, you can apply some Benzyl Peroxide to dry out the area after washing. 

You need the skin scraping so the vet can determin which ABS will work on your dog. And its also a good idea to test for allergies, immune problems, and blood chemistry so you can find the route cause and end the cycle. If you don't find the cause of these outbreaks, they will keep returning.


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## spotted nikes (Feb 7, 2008)

Buy some Microtek anti itch/antifungal shampoo. I swear by it. Wash her every 4 days with it for 2 weeks, then go to weekly, then after a month, use it monthly, then as needed.


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## Mr. V (Jan 28, 2010)

angie339 said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have a 10 year old lab mix rescue, Penny - super sweet pup. I've had her since she was 6 months old and she's never had any skin issues until this past October. I let my mom take her to a new groomer and after that, all hell broke loose on her skin. She developed a horrible rash and what looked like sores on her back. I took her to the vet who shaved the affected area, *put her on antibiotics, gave her a shot of steroids* and sent us on our way. The sores dried up shortly thereafter and I thought we were done with the problem.... Until she started developing hot spots in other places of her back!
> 
> ...


Ultimate face palm right there. 

This off an on regime of antibiotics and steroids is why we see raging bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics. The steroids suppress the immune system = how the heck is she supposed to get this bacterial infection resolved if that is going on!?!?! Anwer: She can't. The bacterial skin infections are a secondary problem to an underlying cause. The most common cause is atopic dermatitis (AKA Atopy, AKA Environmental allergies). There is no treatment out there that will control an underlying allergy if she is not cleared of the infection. It's a nasty cycle that is perpetuated by this back and forth treatment she's been on.

As ReDChase so wisely mentioned, I think you need to seek a dermatologist to settle this. An intradermal allergy test is good if you want to pursue allergy shots thereafter, but, this will be compromised greatly if she's had one of those steroid shots within the last 8-10 weeks. A serum allergy test is sometimes done if this is the case. I know its terrible to watch her in pain. I know it's expensive. But, if you can manage to pull the funds together, I believe that the dermatologist can help you get this whole mess under control. It could also be flea allergy. The lesions you describe (on the back) are more classic for flea allergy dermatitis. However, this can only be diagnosed by allergy testing, which again, is best determined if there is no more circulating sources of exogenous steroids.

Is she on any flea prevention?

Out of curiosity, what antibiotics has she been on? I'll be $100 she's been on Baytril at least once.


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## La Mer (Apr 3, 2011)

Hi!

My dog has had many skin problems the past few years and hot spots was one of them!

What works best for my dog is keeping her indoors where it is cool and keeping her clean. The vet once prescribed me medicine for her hot spots but I came to find Sulfadene (the yellow liquid) works just as well. I also kept the are shaved and dry until it was gone and I occasionally had to give my poor Stinkst the E collar  I tried vinegar but did not notice a big effect and it hurt her applying it. Have you consider something primary like psoriasis or yeast that may be keeping her skin too moist?

My dog has allergies (food definitely, maybe other) which create yeast which create topical bacterial infections and when I keep that under control her hot spots stay under control.


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## Pasofino (Apr 10, 2008)

I second the dermatologist visit. Until you know what you are treating, it is really hard to treat it.

On the other hand, I also second Microtek. It is an antifungal and will absolutely help to clear out any hotspot, IF it is not a virus. You can get Microtek Spray or shampoo at most tack shops or high end farm supply stores.

Also, Cedarcide will help hotspots, if they are truly hotspots and not some other dermatitis. It clears them up almost overnight.
One other thing that may help is ivermectin, IF the vet says to use it.

Do call a dermatologist to confirm exactly what it is that needs to be treated.


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## lambert (Apr 4, 2011)

hi..have a 4yr old maltese..he had a yeast infection in ears when i rescued him...he has taken steroids, antibiotics, etc - to no avail! They told me last summer he probably had allergy to grass - to wait until frost for relief - but got none! without paying for allergy tests, I took him off of wheat and corn...starting feeding him Blue..but, still, he was always itching and scratching..constantly biting paws...skin is red in appearance...dr finally put him on fluconazole ( $4.oo at Giant Eagle)..been on it 6 days...he hasn't bitten his paws in 4 days! He seems to be so much calmer! This med is for yeast infections! Talk to ur vet about it...Good Luck! Btw..Vet was confused about dosage...he is 7# and they r giving him 25 mg once a day for 30 days.


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## chrispet (Apr 18, 2011)

As a Chinese medicine practioner's, your dog has too much heat in her body, the groomer used a shampoo that you dog was allergic to and then the vet prescribed more antibiotics and steroids which further dried out her skin. Have you tried Fish Oil (Omega 3's) You can use a good grade human fish oil, you can tell, the less fishy smell the better the grade. Try giving her 1 cap in the am and 1 in the pm, should see improvement in one to two weeks. You need to try to find a holistic vet in your area, because all these treatments so far are drying out your dog's skin. Your dog needs to heal from the inside, out, meaning I would go with another dog food, try **** Van Patten's natural balance vegetarian formula. Most vets, like most MD.s don't have proper nutritional training. The vets are trained by the different dog food companies. I'm not saying your current vet is not good but, I don't think he/she understands holistic medicine and doesn't seem to realize the treatments are making the dog worse. Also, you might try giving your dog, a cup of watermelon a day, also will help to de-tox the body from the steroids and hydrate the skin. But, do it under a Vet's supervision.


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