More hotspot questions

[Keira25]

I am getting a little frustrated with the hotspot issue on my 2 1/2 year old newf. I have read all the previous posts, and have tried many of the remedies. Her problem seems to be seasonal. In her short life spring and late summer seem to be the problem, although who knows if she gets a break during the summer because the antibiotics given in late spring are still in her system??? Since she seems OK during the winter, I am going on the assumption it's not food allergies. I guess my question is, how do you tell if it's allergies, staph infection, yeast infection or what? Do I ask the vet to do a skin scraping? Would she be able to tell if if was staph or yeast from that? Last time I went she said Keira wasn't bad enough to do allergy testing, and I might get a false negative so wait till she gets worse. She eyeballed the area and said she had a staph infection from biting as a result of assumed allergies. Right now, the area on her butt is very red with some sores. She slams her butt down to itch it (doesn't scoot). There are other bad areas on the backs of her legs. I feel terrible and just want her to be comfortable. I don't want an endless cycle of trying to keep it under control, but then eventually having to have antibiotics to clear it up. That can't be good for her. Sorry for the long post, which is coming out like a vent. any advice would be appreciated.

 

[mulenag]

I would suggest allergy testing. Find out what is really triggering her. Than you could try some sort of antihistamine...there are many out there. That's just a start, but it really does sound like seasonal allergies. Good luck with Keira! Allergies sure can be frustrating!

 

[nowhavethreebears]

I agree it sounds like allergy testing is a good idea. I mean, if you are spending money and she is off and on meds in an endless cycle and STILL not comfortable, I think it would be worth the investment.
And, if it were me, I would get a second opinion from another vet...sounds like maybe she isn't taking Keira's problems seriously enough.

 

[Leslie]

If you haven't had a skin scraping done, I personally would try that one first. You have an outward sign of a reaction that may or may not be allergy related. Staph and yeast and most other parasitic conditions are easily diagnosed with a skin scraping and culture growth. Allergies do not cause yeast or staph (at least not that I'm aware of). Maybe you'll get an answer that way.

[ 08-17-2006, 07:12 PM: Message edited by: Leslie ]

 

[Windancer]

Two things that might help..My Simone has terrible flea allergies.ONE FLEA can cause this. Also.. I have had more hot spots this year than I have ever seen..I did find something that seems to work well...Listerene in a spray bottle seems to get what I am dealing with real quick..Now this is other dogs..not the Simone issue..Julie

 

[M & M's Mom Linda]

When Max had a raw spot, the Vet pressed a slide on the spot and looked at it under a microscope and said it was bacterial. We did the 2 weeks of antibiotics but I sprayed the hotspots with a solution of Listerine and water and NEVER let Max get wet without blowing dry every inch of him. We have not had a hotspot since. I think IMO dampness is the main problem.

 

[Sound Bay Newfs]

Listering does work wonders on a hot spot especially if caught early. Gold Bond powder sprinkled on top helps keep the spot dry and stops the itch allowing it to heal.

 

[Sailorgirl]

Just be careful. Hudson had a few hot spots that we were treating topically and I thought they were under control. All of a sudden he had a raving staph infection over much of his torso. I swear it happened in the matter of a day and I felt horrible about it. We have had success in the past with gold bond and the blue powder ear treatment (used topically on hot spots).

 

[NessaM]

Nanook has some sores on his back legs as you're describing them, although it doesn't sound like he's nearly as bad as poor Keira! Linda mentioned dampness as one cause of itchiness, but we haven't let Nanook get wet in quite a while and he's still got the dang things. It sounds like Keira has seasonal allergies - the vet suspects Nanook of having the same. We were doing rounds and rounds of him getting itchy, scratching himself, and getting staph, we were bathing him with epi-soothe shampoo relatively often to help combat the itchies, and then I discovered THIS stuff...

http://www.calvetsupply.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=124

It's a leave-on Chlorhexadine lotion - we use it after bathing him on all of his trouble spots (basically his entire underside and the sides of his face). It kills the bacteria on the skin, so that even if he scratches himself, no more staph infection. It also has a timed release, so it will keep working in between baths. So far, so good. I clean his hot spots with a 50/50 vinegar-water mix - the vet also suggested swimming in salt water to help dry them up. Since he's a baby he hasn't been around long enough to determine if the cooler weather will cause the itchies to stop - cross your fingers for us!

Our vet also said that if he doesn't improve, they can do a skin test to determine what he's allergic to, and once they've narrowed it down, she says they can create what she termed a specific "vaccination" to try to help him acclimate to the irritant. She did say though that only about two-thirds of dogs respond to that treatment though.

Edited to add - Nanook saw the vet today and when we went in I showed her the resichlor just to make certain it was okay to use on him...she said, and I quote, "Oh yeah, that stuff is great!"

I wanted to say, "Why on EARTH didn't you tell me about it, then?!?!"

[ 08-17-2006, 10:36 PM: Message edited by: Nessa & Nanook ]

 

[Keira25]

Thank you all. I stopped taking Keira in the water because it made everything worse, so I don't think it's the getting wet thing. I did not try the listerine solution yet or the leave-on Chlorhexadine lotion. (I loved your note about the vet saying the Resichlor was great. My guess is that when I call and request a skin scraping they'll say it's a great idea and I should have done it sooner). I just rec'd something called Espree hot spot foam from my groomer to try. If that doesn't work I'll move on to the other solutions. Regardless, it looks like I need to go to the vet and get her allergy tested and get a skin-scraping. I would like to get to the bottom of this and at least know what we're dealing with. Thanks so much again.
Keira and her Mom Eileen

 

[Windancer]

by the way..I use the listerine streight. Is there anything I should know about that?. It does work. Also, my friend Sally was given a Gentamiacin spray that worked wonders....Julie

 

[Jeannie]

One thing many show people use to get rid of hot spots quickly is a spray from the vet called Gentocin. Have your vet add 1CC Banamine to the bottle.

Lots of undercoat will hold moistured. Make sure it is all combed out.

I agree allergy testing.

 

[swigginton]

As many have said the key is to keep the HS dry. Try using the dryer several times a day and get the area DRY. This along with Gentamician has help wonders.

 

[sarnewfie]

Sounds to me the smartest thing right now is the skin scraping.
Are you using frontline on her?
what food is she on?
all things to consider, and, i had not had a hotspot problem with any of mine, cept for emmett, even now, i never ever get them and i have five newfs here.
Emmett had a horrible reaction to frontline, and, from that moment on, he had a sensitivity to his skin, and, if he scratched or itched in the area he broke out from the frontline, he would get a hotspot, but, as two years went on, i think he broke away from it, and i attribute that to a good diet and healthy immune system taking over.
we feed wysong the synorgen brand, i am not sure your food has corn in it, and not even sure corn is a contributer, but, it would be worthwhile to build up her immune system and get her a good wholesome diet to begin with. suppliments also can help strenthen it, at the time i had emmett breaking out, i used the powder called hokamix
http://www.naturmix.com/pages/products/hokamix.html
you can look into this, and possibly try it, but remember any switch or addition takes at least six months to notice any difference.

 

[Leslie]

Chlorhexadine comes in a flush too. I use it for Bailey's yeasty ear. No matter what we did, we couldn't get rid of it. This stuff works really well and I think it's easier to use than the lotion. It also has a drying component. Shop around because the price varies from $7 to $15 for the same product.

Here's a link. Flush

 

[Keira25]

OK. Please excuse the explicit news about my dog's private parts! When I looked at her today, the area around her anus looked even redder and there was a smell. I took her to the vet, and saw one that I normally don't see, and I must admit isn't my favorite. I thought Keira had a yeast infection and I was going to talk about allergy testing again. The vet threw me for a loop as she said Keira had a very recessed vulva (which I knew about, but hasn't to my knowledge been a problem) and because of this had a bad infection. The drainage and licking caused it to spread to the butt area and down her rear legs. I had to admit this was a new area for her to get hotspots, so I am assuming her theory is correct. Needless to say she's on antibiotics, but at the moment things have taken a different direction than what I thought. Once again, I don't know what to think, but the allergy stuff and this are definitely 2 separate problems. Oh boy, something else to worry about!! I'm looking forward to the close relationship I will be having with Keira's privates for awhile. I just hope she will be more comfortable in a couple days.
BTW, Keira has never used Frontline, just K9 Advantix, and eats Wellness Super 5 mix. I tried to switch to Canidae last year, but she was not interested at all. Thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it, and I know the allergy thing isn't over at all, just taking a back seat for the moment.

 

[sarnewfie]

Keep her private areas shaved out, with an inverted private area, she will hold moisture wich is favorable for bacteria, it will enter her privates and she will get infections, keeping that clipped out, will help it stay dry, and unfavorable for infections, do invest in a clipper and a #10 blade to trim that out and do it on a monthly basis, my girls are being done as soon as i get done typing this out, three done, 2 to go.

 

[Jeannie]

My Panda has an inverted vulva. Yes the smell can be very bad when bacteria starts growing. I keep her privates shaved with a #10 blade. Plus I clean her about 3 times a week with a 50/50 mixture of listerine and water. In the summer I have to clean her more often because of the heat making the bacteria grow. Since I started doing this she has had no smell.

Anytime she gets wet I make sure I dry the area comletely.

 

[Leslie]

He's using antibiotics to cure a yeast infection? Very strange because antibiotics kill beneficial bacteria and can cause yeast infections. Might want to check with your other vet.

 

[Keira25]

No, there is no yeast infection like I thought, it's just an infection caused by the recessed vulva thing. Bacteria gathers there and then you have a mess. I do have a #10 blade, so I guess I'll be shaving her on a regular basis.