My poor Yellow Lab/Pit mix (Buddy) has Hot Spots, any suggestions?

[mzbeers]

He has hot spots on his upper cheek. He's had them once before on his neck where his collar rubbed on it, I can't figure out how he got this one.

Hot Spots are some type of sore that dogs get, and they can't stop scratching it so it gets really red and starts to ooze.

I can't really afford to take him to the Vet right now.

Is there anything I can do? Will he have to go on antibiotics? :shrug7:

I would appreciate any advice.

TIA!

[chriscree]

I have been round and round with this for 3 years now with Rocky my chocolate lab. At first i would just give him benadryl or (Walmart brand)allergy meds...untill it got really bad and infected,come to find out it can turn into a fungus that needs perscription meds. he now takes Temeril P wich is a steroid and antihistamine, and ketoconizole that fights the fungus. If its not too bad try the allergy meds first look online to see what the dosing is for your size dog. and get a good antifungal shampoo from the pet store.


good luck.

[NIGHTB1022]

• Hot spots can result from fleas, food allergies, tangled or matted hair, humidity, not drying a wet dog properly or from licking and biting.
• Black/green tea bags and medicated powder such as Gold Bond are home remedies that might be used for drying out hot spots. For healing, there's Vitamin E or antibiotic ointment; however, always check with a veterinarian first, because many don't advocate the use of these remedies, especially ointments, since the idea is generally to dry out the hot spots. And keep in mind these treatments won't stop the spread of infection.
• Treat hot spots immediately to prevent further spreading.
• Hot spots can be very painful, so be cautious when treating your dog.
• Sometimes hair can mat over the hot spot and obscure the severity of the problem.

[oceanbreeze]

I would call the vet and tell them the situation and tell them you can't afford at the moment to come in for this but want advice on how to help your dog with this problem.

They can give you the safest way to treat the hot spots.

I only know from when our pug had them. we had to take her to the vet, they gave her steroid shots, an oral med we could give her at home and daily i was to wash the spots w/ a special shampoo they gave me- blot dry- and apply a medicated powder from them on the spots to help them heal.

[mzbeers]

Well, I ended up taking him to the vet. It was indeed a "hot spot", I called his regular vet, they told me it would be $150 to treat it, so I found a different vet, and it was $88, without the ointment, as they demanded PIF, so that was about the only thing I could pass on. I will have to try and get the ointment next week.

He is feeling a little better, I'm glad I took him in, I just wish they would be a little more willing to work with you in terms of payment.

Thanks everyone for posting!

[flower$]

Last summer our lab/retriever mix had some hot spots- I used Skin Balm by Happy Jack that I bought at Tractor supply.
I also used a bitter yuck spray to keep her from licking it.
I did change the dogfood she was eating & made sure I treat her with frontline-(there are stray cats in the neighborhood...we've never had a problem w/ fleas here before)...:shrug7:

[thriftychic83]

My dog had hot spots too. I spent over $200 at the vets office using different treatments and almost gave up hope until I saw Sulfadene at the store. It cost me about $2 and it disappeared almost immediately. I think you can buy it almost anywhere.

[kremsh]

I've got my 92lb pit on 3 benedryl 3 times a day for her itchy spots, and it has helped so much! She has flea allergies and was so miserable she couldn't stop itching to the point she was losing her fur. Now she is happy, healthy and completely furry!

Glad you could get your furbaby taken care of but it does stink that your vet won't work with you on payments. You may want to check out other vets to see if they will take payments, mine will let me post date checks for my expensive visits so I don't have to pay all at once.

[cupunlvr]

I have a Corgi (dense undercoat) that seems to be prone to hot spots. I have found shaving the area with a grooming clipper as soon as I notice something developing and then washing and drying the area and applying an ointment called Animax (antibiotic/antifungal) from vet heals it the quickest.

[mumof3boys]

My lab/terrier mix got a hot spot on his leg... I tried ointment, peroxide, all kinds of bandages...Then I tried "Gentian Violet"- dabbed a bit on, then used a "nonsticking" bandage to wrap up his leg so he would stop licking it. It healed up perfectly.