Question:
Seems like it's that time of year and hot spots are creeping up all over. So I thought I would do a little research and post some information for everyone incase you have a current hot spot situation or do get one in the future (your dog that is).

The two links below have fantastic information.

At any rate this is what I found and I hope you find it useful:

http://www.veterinarypetcare.com/doghotspot.html
SIGNS

A very itchy, smelly, oozy area on the skin. There may be more than one spot. They often form on the face and at the base of the ears. They are often very painful.

CAUSES

The technical name for a hot spot is acute moist dermatitis. They are a local area of bacterial infected hair follicles. They form most often during the warm summer months. Any scratch or wound can cause the skin to become infected and develop into a hot spot. Most hot spots are secondary to some type of skin allergy.

SOLUTIONS

REMOVE THE HAIR This is the most important thing to do in order to allow hot spots to heal. Use a pair of blunt noses scissors to trim as much hair as possible on and around the spot. If you have clippers use them for trimming. These can be very painful and some dogs will not let you trim much hair.

CLEAN THE AREA. Use a mild, non-perfumed antiseptic soap (Hibitane) to clean the skin. Gently dab it on the spot, lather up and rinse well.

A CUP OF TEA. The key to curing hot spots is to get them to dry out. A very effective antiseptic drying solution is tea and aspirin. Brew up a strong cup of black tea and dissolve an aspirin tablet in it. Soak a cloth in this brew and apply it to the area for 5 minutes four times daily.

BUROWS SOLUTION. This is a solution of aluminum acetate which will help dry the skin and promote healing. It is available at pharmacies. Spray it on the area three times daily.

COOL IT DOWN. A herb called WITCH HAZEL will make a hot spot feel better almost instantly. It evaporates quickly cooling down the inflamed skin. It can be applied two to three times a day.

SOOTHING HERBS. CALENDULA and ALOE VERA are two herbs that I frequently use for any type of skin irritation. If you have one of these on hand, then use them after applying one of the treatments for drying out the hot spot (the tea and aspirin, or Burrows Solution).

ALLERGIES AND EXTERNAL PARASITES. If the hot spots are recurring, then search for an underlying cause. Check for fleas or lice, you may want to treat for them with Advantage anyway. Stop any non-vegetable treats (Milkbones and table scraps) and consider a hypoallergenic food.



http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petallergies.htm


Beware of drugs that you vet may give your animal. They are often innefective and may have serious side effects


Doctors tell you that steroids (cortisone, prednisone) only cause side effects after many years. But new research shows that permanent damage is immediate and devastating. Studies show that steroids cause permanent, debilitating effects after a single dosage.


A number of studies have documented the benefits of fatty acid supplements for allergic pets. In the literature, fatty acid supplements made from fish oil were effective in reducing symptoms of itching and inflammation in 11 to 27 percent of allergic dogs and over 50 percent of allergic cats. How well fatty acids work in an allergic pet depends upon a number of factors, including the product used, dosage, and the presence of other diseases that can contribute to itching.


Skin eruptions are often blamed on fleas, when in fact these may be the result of a bad reaction to vaccines, to drugs, to toxic commercial pet food or to deficiency of vital nutrients. In my personal experience with dog and fleas, I found that healhy dogs will be much less sensitive to flea bites

Vinegar for Flea Bites and other skin condition

We coat the 'hot spots' with vinegar, full strength, using a cotton ball or poured directly from the bottle. For a full body treatment, add four cups of vinegar to the bath water. Be careful not to get the vinegar/water mixture in the ears and eyes. The vinegar/water rinses are a quick remedy to relieve minor skin irritations such as hives, chigger bites, other insect bites and rashes."

Demodectic mange mites are common flora in man and animals. Reread that if you think this is a typo, because it’s a fact: we all have demodectic mites as residents on our skin. Why aren’t we all itchy and broken out with eruptions? Only one reason: the immune system keeps these parasites in check. So, when a dog is diagnosed with demodectic mange, and he’s got crusty patches around his face or toes or all over, what that means, first and foremost, is that his immune system needs help! Unfortunately, the common treatment is to dip the affected dogs in very toxic chemicals to kill the mites. So toxic, in fact, that the personnel dipping the dog wear rubber gloves and aprons!


Feed the most natural diet possible.
Learn to read a pet food label and avoid foods with chemical preservatives (BHT, BHA, ethoxyquin) and animal and plant by-products that can damage a pet's immune system and do not help maintain health as much as foods with natural preservatives and no by-products. When possible, prepare and feed a homemade diet (using on of the recipes in The Natural Health Bible for Dogs & Cats) to ensure thatyour pet is eating the healthiest food possible.
Minimize vaccines.
Most pets do not need annual "shots." A simple blood test called a titer test can determine which vaccines you pet needs.
Minimize chemicals.
I prefer not to use chemical flea prevention products unless absolutely needed. Monthly heartworm medication is preferred over the 6 month injectable heartworm preventive.
Administer whole food
vitamin and mineral supplements, antioxidants, and omega-3 fatty acids to maintain a healthy body.
Administer choline supplementation
to prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease (cognitive disorder) in dogs and cats 10 years of age and older



THIS is a wonderful site, there is so much infomation you need days to read it all...but well worth the read..even print out! Lots of book suggestions for those who read:

http://www.caninecaregroup.net/dheal...20VACCINATIONS

Answer:
Thanks Luba. A guy showed up at our park with a massive hotspot and I was starting to worry. Seems logical that there would be an underlying allergy issue too.

Answer:
Tea and aspirin! No kiddin?

I'm writing that one down.

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YA I know I was surprised at it too!

I love the information on those links, I was going 'oh ya' and 'wow really' as I was reading!

Neat stuff very informative I thought.

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You should also add Staph infections. They are not the same as Hot spots...Like I knew.....They need medical attention to go away, not only ointments. Harley is covered, poor guy. He is seeing the vet Sat again

Answer:
I've treated staph infections with oil of oregano....works very well. Apply directly to the site an give orally with some yogurt.


Works for people too, give it a try ....if you need some suggestions on dosage I'd be more then happy to help you out there.

Answer:
His staph infection is really bad now.....I am giving him fish oil orally in pill format, and using witch hazel, and still not doing it. So off to the vet we go. I need a second job to pay for my pets, I tell ya

Answer:
Please try the oregano oil TRUST me it will HELP even if it doesn't cure.

Go to a health food store and ask for Oil of Oregano
They are in little bottles. If they have organic, get it...better!
Oreganum is my favourite brand.

Give him 3 drops in a tablespoon of yogurt 3x a day. Mix it well and give him something afterwards to help it go down like a piece of cheese or something.

Trust me it works very very good you have to keep on top of it. Oregano oil is very very condensed and kills virus, bacteria and it boosts the immune system.

You can also put a few drops in a spray bottle with some spring/distilled water (not tap water) and shake it really good then MIST his body (NOT near the eyes or nose or anything as it can cause a burning sensation)

Give it a try!!

Answer:
Oregano oil does work I used it for Blaze after you telling me about it, demodex mange is not pleasent on any animal.

Blaze fought it for months but my Vet doesn't do the dips, too hard on the dog and it burns like hell. People should know what they are using before putting it on their pet.

There are many thing to help build immune system and dips is not one of them. One more hint for hot spots is Gold bond medicated power, works great for itching and dries it up.

Answer:
Luba, thank you for all this information. Hot Spots are very common in the Lab and Golden Breeds. So far, no hot spots on my girls and hopefully never will see one. Our lab use to get them every summer.

However, I want people to be aware that IF the spot is NOT clearing up, even with lots of different natural remedies, you need to take your dog to the vet. These hot spots can cause all kinds of very serious problems, one of which they can go deep into the skin and cause a bacterial infection. These are not to be taken lightly and sometimes they do need a vets advice and care and antibiotics.

Heather

Answer:
These products are *AMAZING*, please trust me on this one! http://www.nzymes.com

We got a 10 year old rescue boxer in who was FULL, COVERED in hot spots, it was brutal. After a week and a half on the Nzymes, they were barely visible anymore. Also his energy level went way up and he acts half his age now. We've had many rescue with "allergies" etc. go on them and it always cleared up.

Also, I have Uncle Monty on them while he is going through his chemo, and he is really doing well. I know I sound like an infomercial..but they really work..

Answer:
Thank you, BoxerRescue! I have bookmarked that site, and am going to finish reading it after I post this. Looks VERY impressive. I'm wondering if the Nzymes can help Raj in a few ways. Thanks again!

Answer:
No problem I am glad to help! Like I said, I know I sound cheesy, but I can't stop talking about these products to people. I just ordered more as I'm running out.

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Are they paying you to say that

Answer:
ya i wish. maybe they should. hmmmm...

you are joking right? sometimes i'm bad at sarcasm.

Answer:
Boxerrescue, they don't say what is in them. Do you have an ingredient list? I'm just wondering if it's that much different than the solid gold sea meal:
Originally Posted by Solid Gold
Seameal contains 60 trace minerals, 12 vitamins, 22 amino acids, digestive enzymes, and flaxseed meal. It is excellent skin and coat problems. When Seameal is added to food, it increases the digestibility of the food. We recommend using Seameal with all our foods.

Here:
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/produ...id=36&code=591
Here are their other supplements:
http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/produ...wcat.php?cat=3

Answer:
I did some digging on the site and here's the ingredients for the bak pac plus:
http://nzymes.com/product_bacpak_plu...tm#Ingredients

granules:
http://nzymes.com/product-granules.htm#Ingredients

oxydrops:
http://nzymes.com/product-oxydrops.htm#SupplementFacts

you may have to scroll around a little on each page to find the ingredients..

Answer:
I was just kidding with you

Answer:
K, I'm going to post the first ones here:
Dried Whey, Active Yeast (Saccharomyces), Dried Bacillus subtilis Fermentation Extract, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium Sulfate, Sunflower Seed Oil, Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus lactis Fermentation Product, Dried Lactobacillus casei Fermentation Product, Dried Streptoccus diacetylacties Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium bifidum Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium longum Fermentation Product, Dried Bifidobacterium thermophilum Fermentation Product, Dried Streptococcus faecium Fermentation Product, Yucca Schidigera Powder, Sodium Silico Aluminate, Dried Aspergillus oryzae Fermentation Extract Product and Silicon Dioxide.
This is the Solid Gold one-- has much less as far as enzymes go:
Dried Seaweed meal, Flaxseed meal, Dehydrated Lemon Powder, Carotene, Chlorophyll, Vit B12 (cyanobalamin), Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product, Pineapple, Lactase.


Answer:
I was just kidding with you
LOL, I am soooo paranoid! I think I've been reading too much of that "scared to post" poll/thread. LOL!!!

Answer:
"I ain't scared of no post" ....'ya ya ya ya'

Get it huh huh, instead of ghost LOL

Anyway folks here is another link with wonderful information, I posted it in the original mesg (edited) and here for you to read.

The information is outstanding...really makes you wanna go'''''''hmmmmm!

http://www.caninecaregroup.net/dheal...20VACCINATIONS

Answer:
LOL

Great article Luba! Thanks! I totally agree with the info shared. Here's another link for anyone interested, it's a letter written by Dr. Jean Dodds, a pioneer of the over vaccination debate.
http://www.dogsadversereactions.com/vDrDodds.html
We could even start a new thread with all this info, I've got more too...that way people might find it easier. I really believe all pet owners need to know this stuff..

Answer:
Many moons ago I did a thread on vaccinosis...it ended up being a heated debate..so I'll leave it here this way.

You see some people still go by the do what the vet says ideals and they were somewhat offended that I didn't believe in this.

This way they can take it or leave it. Personally if I didn't have to vaccinate my dog anymore for the rest of her life I wouldn't

I'm going to go read the article that you posted now, thx u for sharing it. I always love to broaden my info on that topic an other holistic things

Answer:
From your link: Does this ever really happen? If it did man wouldn't the vets lose a lot of moula from youla!

Finally, because of the potential legal liability for all medical procedures including vaccination, veterinarians need to obtain informed consent from their clients. This means that clients need to be given information about the benefits and risks of vaccination in order to permit them to make an appropriate decision about the individual vaccine to be selected and the vaccination programs of choice. Thus, obtaining informed consent and the client’s signature on a consent form or patient chart is an important aspect of following the legal standards of duty to inform ”what any reasonable, prudent person would want to know about the subject”.


Answer:
I haven't ever been told the benefits other than with Lepto. A few years ago, the vet said that Lepto had reached Dorval, and it is wise to vaccinate from now on, as the virus can be transmitted through raccoon urine, and you can't always see the raccie urinating and know which spots to avoid...

Answer:
Lepto was the only one I did have concerns with, but Sadie reacted horribly to the vaccine so I wouldn't ever give it to her again. Just try to be as safe as possible. Early detection with Lepto, there is treatment so....shrugs just gotta do your best.

Answer: