MommaDogs Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 From what I understand, cats and horses also get hot spots... but this is about my dog. He always gets a hot spot a few times a year. I've always been able to deal with them. This year, he's gotten three in one month, and this last one has encompassed his whole neck and we have to go to the vet today and pay for an emergency appointment. Be prepared! Anyone who has a solution, please share. I'm thinking it is because I switched their food to commercial dry. Yes, it's $50 a bag good stuff, but it was too much for me to be making all the food for the "family" recently. One dog is a senior with high kidney values, our puppy needs lower protein, and my dog needs high protein. The kids eat meat, my husband is on a diet, I don't eat meat. I grind my own grain for my poultry. It's getting ridiculous with a full time job to cook for everyone, even if most of "us" (animals) are raw... so animals were all switched to a commerical diet. Anyway, long story short, I tried all the remedies I know and nothing has worked and now he has a lump on his throat of infection and we need antibiotics for him. This is what we did: Cleanse with H2O2, and use Gold Bond to dry and for itch... no results Cleanse with H2O2 and use Benydryl cream... no results Cleanse with chlorhexiderm, dry with blow dryer, use tea bags and triple antibiotic cream... no results Cleanse with chlorhexiderm dry with blow dryer and use tea spray... no results. By this time, his ear is starting to get involved. His eyes are weeping. Cleanse with H2O2, dry with blow dryer, spray with tea, dry with blow dryer again, spray with commercial hot spot stuff, and that's when I realized that he is swollen all the way down his neck. I gave him some metronidazole last night and this morning, just to try to keep the infection at bay, but it's not the best choice for skin disorders, and this morning I am appalled at how bad it has gotten. He doesn't seem to be scratching it either. I've only caught him twice in two days and putting the spray on it seems to help... What would I do if this was a SHTF scenario? I'm so worried about this. Link to comment
Motherhen Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 I think its out of your hands and would like to hear what the vet does for you. All the things that you did, are the things I'd have tried. He sounds like he needs antibiotics now--which I'd get from the feed mill and have, IF I couldn't get to the the vet. In this case, I'd prefer to have a vet take a look to see what the problem is and get to the source of the problem. He sounds like he's getting worse quickly. I can't think off hand what the metronidazole is for..isn't that for worms and/or coccidia? Link to comment
Mother Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Mommadogs, I'm glad you are taking him to a vet as this might be more involved than just a hot spot. Hot spots are generally thought to be caused by a bacteria or fungus that invades the skin, and it is but in essence a hot spot can be caused by many different things. Allergies, toxins from the environment, bug bites, hair mats, scratching and damaged skin, vaccination reactions, the dyes and chemicals in their food, and anything else that causes them to have a rash or itchy area. Our dog used to get them and an ear infection every time she ate commercial food. Here is a good article on hot spots that might give you some ideas of natural cures. http://www.joys-of-lavender.com/hot-spots.html The main thing would be vigilance. If TSHTF we will all need to be more careful of our health and in turn, more observant of our pet's health. We might have to try to take time daily (that's not going to be easy in a stressful situation) to check our animals skin, feet, ears, and etc just to make sure they aren't getting into difficulty. A hot spot can change from dime sized to baseball sized in a few hours if it's warm and humid especially; A tick can cause Lyme disease as quickly in an animal as in humans if not removed promptly; A sliver or thorn in a foot can cause major problems in a very short time and etc. In the case of hot spots in particular I usually clip the area immediately even if it looks strange to see an animal with patches of fur removed. It makes it easier to care for the irritation and lets air into the area for drying. I use Tea tree oil on the area first thing. If the tea tree oil is a quality oil you can use it undiluted even though almost all other essential oils should be diluted. In the many many years I did wildlife rescue I used tea tree oil with great effectiveness on all sorts of wounds. Be aware that it can sting to beging with and some animals will turn on you as they believe you are the one causing them pain. That is one reason for diluting it with another carrier oil, olive oil works well. I have used it on large areas of skin in wildlife but I wouldn't reccomend it unless you simply cannot get to a vet to get some help. Lot's more info at the link above. Hope it helps. Link to comment
Ambergris Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Have you tried Benadryl? It sounds rather like an allergic reaction to me. Link to comment
CrabGrassAcres Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Metro is Flagyl. It is good for fungus, yeast, protozoa and some bacteria. I'd give the dogs cod liver oil on their feed and sprinkle some yellow dusting sulfur on the feed and on the dog. It does stink but should help. I've seen this with a corn allergy. Link to comment
GirlNextDoor Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 "Metro is Flagyl". Please explain. Link to comment
K_L Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 From what I understand, cats and horses also get hot spots... but this is about my dog. He always gets a hot spot a few times a year. I've always been able to deal with them. This year, he's gotten three in one month, and this last one has encompassed his whole neck and we have to go to the vet today and pay for an emergency appointment. Be prepared! Anyone who has a solution, please share. I'm thinking it is because I switched their food to commercial dry. Yes, it's $50 a bag good stuff, but it was too much for me to be making all the food for the "family" recently. One dog is a senior with high kidney values, our puppy needs lower protein, and my dog needs high protein. The kids eat meat, my husband is on a diet, I don't eat meat. I grind my own grain for my poultry. It's getting ridiculous with a full time job to cook for everyone, even if most of "us" (animals) are raw... so animals were all switched to a commerical diet. Anyway, long story short, I tried all the remedies I know and nothing has worked and now he has a lump on his throat of infection and we need antibiotics for him. This is what we did: Cleanse with H2O2, and use Gold Bond to dry and for itch... no results Cleanse with H2O2 and use Benydryl cream... no results Cleanse with chlorhexiderm, dry with blow dryer, use tea bags and triple antibiotic cream... no results Cleanse with chlorhexiderm dry with blow dryer and use tea spray... no results. By this time, his ear is starting to get involved. His eyes are weeping. Cleanse with H2O2, dry with blow dryer, spray with tea, dry with blow dryer again, spray with commercial hot spot stuff, and that's when I realized that he is swollen all the way down his neck. I gave him some metronidazole last night and this morning, just to try to keep the infection at bay, but it's not the best choice for skin disorders, and this morning I am appalled at how bad it has gotten. He doesn't seem to be scratching it either. I've only caught him twice in two days and putting the spray on it seems to help... What would I do if this was a SHTF scenario? I'm so worried about this. Try something natural perhaps all the cleaning is affecting his skin. cold mud or blue clay, (if you have any in your area, not pre packaged, what I mean is out of the ground.) pack on well, it should bring down the swelling. Link to comment
CrabGrassAcres Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Metronidazole is the generic name for the drug commonly known by the brand name "Flagyl". Many women take it for yeast infections. Link to comment
CrabGrassAcres Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Pine tar soap might help too. That stuff is wonderful for antibacterial, antifungal, action ad is great for eczema as well. Link to comment
MommaDogs Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 Wow, some really great advice everyone. Thank you. Yes, Mother, hot spots can certainly grow quickly, which is why I was starting to get concerned. And I clipped, but it seemed like I was clipping more every day with no end in sight. Sigh, poor beautiful puppy is no more so beautiful. LOL. He looks like a turkey with a bare neck. I really feel like this was allergies that did it because the vet started to shave lower than I did and finally said if he kept going, the whole dog would be bald. He had red, itchy bumps all over his skin. I've never seen him get like this and absolutely nothing was affecting it at all. Doing rescue, I have seen hundreds of hot spots over the years and never like this. Even the vet said it was the worst he had ever seen. Of course, not everything the vet said made sense. For instance, he said that he didn't believe he had hot spots a few times this month, that it was likely all one incidence that carried over. (never healed completely) That didn't make sense to me because usually hot spots are caused by Staphylococcus Aureus, which is one of those bacteria that is resident on our skin naturally. Which means that in order for it to become a problem, it has to be introduced below the skin, as in through a break. That's why usually hot spots are begun when a skin break occurs, such as by a tick bite or flea, etc. So, since his skin completely healed and the fur began growing back, I don't understand how it could all be related... unless it was caused by his itching his skin due to an allergic reaction, which is how the skin could have broken to introduce the offending bacteria. Anyway, just my two cents. I know he graduated from vet school and I'm only prevet, but he's younger than I am and I've been around much longer at vet offices and hospitals than him, so sometimes I think he just takes offense to my questioning him. Just remember everyone, stand up to your doctors, they don't know everything! Every time something like this happens, my first thought is "what if this was SHTF?" I really like the idea of pine tar soap, never even thought of it. And the sulfur, also. And yes, I did try Benadryl... no luck. Man, this was a hard case! Yes, Flagyl/Metronidazole is typically used for protozoa, but also known to be used as mentioned here for many other ailments. It's rarely but sometimes used for skin disorders. I believe in this case, as he got two doses before going to the vet, and the spots seemed a bit better already, that it arrested the advancement of the spots. The whole visit wound up costing us $600 because when we were there, we noticed that our new puppy, Samara, had an abcess. She must have sat on something, poor thing. So, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory (Rimadyl/Carprofen) for both dogs, topical cream for Clay, and hot compresses twice a day for both of them. Clay is getting antibiotic in his hot compress, Samara is just getting plain water. All in all, I really feel like it was an expensive lesson. Link to comment
ROSARYCHAPLET Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 what is his diet made of? is there corn in his dog food? if so, change it to rice based. we had a pure bred german shephard who had a skin disorder as well. the vet said many times it's the dog food. usually corn based. you can start with that and see if that helps. Link to comment
MommaDogs Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 what is his diet made of? is there corn in his dog food? if so, change it to rice based. we had a pure bred german shephard who had a skin disorder as well. the vet said many times it's the dog food. usually corn based. you can start with that and see if that helps. Well, my dogs eat raw, but as I stated, I switched him to kibble. He was eating Evo by Innova, which is their grain free diet. Mostly meat, no grains at all. I switched him back to raw, and switched the puppy to raw also. If she grows too fast, so be it. I'll just try to control the amount of protein she gets by mixing in more veggies. My big boy needs more veggies also anyway, since he weighed in at 124! Yikes! Should be 110 tops. He's a fatty fat fat boy. but I love him anyway. He's still handsome to me. I guess the kibble is bad all around for him since he wasn't fat before Samara came to live with us. It is entirely his diet that messed him up. Link to comment
SusanH Posted June 26, 2009 Share Posted June 26, 2009 Since you indicate hot spots are a staph infection, i wanted to post an article from the May journal of Pediatrics. They are having good results clearing up severe ezcema and even MRSA with bleach baths. 1/2 cup to a tub of water and to soak. You might try cleaning with a mild bleach solution a couple times a day...couldn't hurt, I wouldn't think. Here is the article as published on WebMD. http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-tre...ids-with-ezcema Bleach Baths May Help Kids With Eczema Study Shows Baths With Diluted Bleach Help Treat the Itchy, Painful Skin Condition By Salynn Boyles WebMD Health News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD April 27, 2009 -- Participating in a clinical trial in 2006 changed 7-year-old Ben Kieffer's life, says his mom, Jennifer. Ben had suffered from severe eczema since he was 5 weeks old, with relentless itchy, painful flares of the skin condition and many rounds of antibiotics to treat related infections. "His calves were covered in scales and his hands would crack and swell with infection," Jennifer Kieffer tells WebMD. "It was really tough for him, but we saw a big change almost immediately after he joined the study." While Ben's improvement was remarkable, even more remarkable is the fact that the treatment he received was not a high-tech, expensive new drug or topical cream. In fact, it's about as low tech, and inexpensive, as you can get. When his eczema flared, Ben soaked daily in bath water containing about a quarter cup of household bleach. He still takes frequent bleach baths, even though his eczema is much improved. His mom says the baths have made all the difference. "For pennies' worth of bleach to work so well is just amazing," she says. Bleach Baths for Eczema As many as one in five school-aged children have eczema, known medically as atopic dermatitis. The skin condition is characterized by itchy, inflamed skin that often becomes scabby and raw from scratching. Frequent scratching, which breaks the skin, often leads to skin infections, including difficult to treat ones like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus ( MRSA). Pediatric dermatologist Amy Paller, MD, tells WebMD that about 90% of people with eczema have staph on their skin, compared to about 25% of the population at large. Staph infections have traditionally been treated with antibiotics, but bleach baths can also kill the microbes that cause infection. Paller now recommends bleach baths to all her patients with moderate to severe eczema. Along with Jennifer Huang, MD, and colleagues from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, Paller conducted one of the first formal studies to examine the treatment. Thirty-one children between the ages of 6 months and 17 years, including Ben Kieffer, were included in the study. All had moderate to severe eczema and were also infected with staph, and all were being treated with a 14-day course of antibiotics. In addition to the drug treatment, half of the patients took bleach baths and the other half took "placebo" baths without bleach. The study design called for the patients to soak in the bleach or placebo baths twice a week, but Paller says more frequent baths may be useful during eczema flare-ups. Children in the study who took the bleach baths had a reduction in eczema severity that was five times greater than the children who took the placebo baths after three months. The results were so dramatic that researchers stopped the three-month study early so that all the children could benefit from the bleach baths, Paller says. Children who were randomly assigned to the bleach-bath group of the study also dabbed a topical antibiotic up their nose (where staph bacteria are often harbored). But Paller says she has many patients who don't use this intervention and still improve with bleach baths. The study appears in the May issue of the journal Pediatrics. "This is not going to be a cure for everybody, but there is certainly a subset of patients who will benefit tremendously," Paller says. Bleach for Community-Acquired MRSA? Dermatologist Cheryl Lee Eberting, MD, who practices in Alpine, Utah, is a big believer in bleach baths. She recommends them for her patients with eczema, and she says they may have a wider application for addressing a rapidly emerging public health threat -- community-acquired MRSA. While most MRSA infections still occur in hospital settings, community acquired infections of drug-resistant staph are on the rise. Staph bacteria that are most widely publicized as a cause of breakouts have been traced to gyms and locker rooms. "If you play a contact sport or work out at the health club a lot, it probably wouldn't hurt to take an occasional bleach bath," Eberting says. Talk to your doctor before doing so. Link to comment
snapshotmiki Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 If anyone tries this bleach remedy, please post your results. My schnauzers don't get that (so far) but I think it would be useful info. In another line of thinking when do you think the FDA will outlaw bleach? Or regulate it? Many dermatologists would lose a lot of money if the bleach was widely known! Link to comment
westbrook Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 I can't tell you how wonderful this product is! http://www.petkin.com/1-800-PETKIN-1/produ...?products_id=58 Petkin Itch Stick for dogs and cats provides fast-acting relief for the itching and pain resulting from flea bites, hot spots and skin irritations. Contains witch hazel, aloe vera gel, comfrey and vitamins for cooling relief, plus benzocaine to stop itch and pain. Bitter taste helps stop licking, scratching and biting to prevent further irritation. Safe for puppies and kittens over 6 weeks old. the vitamins are A, D, E it used to contain tea tree oil but quickly removed because cats can't use tea tree oil and they could market it for both without it. It also used to come in a spray which was nice because you could spray their sore spots rather then rub a stick on their sores. The spray freaks out some animals. this wouldn't be hard to make using all of the above. I keep benzocaine, it is a lotion.. easily mixed with the above. and the bitter taste is bitter apple! with some trial and errors you could make your own using the ingredients above. but buy a stick and see if it works for him. I recommend this Itch Stick by Petkin to everyone! PetSmart and PetCo carries Link to comment
Mother Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 If anyone tries this bleach remedy, please post your results. My schnauzers don't get that (so far) but I think it would be useful info. In another line of thinking when do you think the FDA will outlaw bleach? Or regulate it? Many dermatologists would lose a lot of money if the bleach was widely known! We are trying very hard on the entire web site to cut down on the remarks against the government. I know this is only borderline, and perhaps even meant sincerely, but that question might be better taken to the Edge for any discussion. Thanks, Link to comment
snapshotmiki Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Whoops! I am sorry about that remark. Was only semi serious. I really didn't consider was that they were government. My mistake and won't happen again. Mik I really do want to know how it works! Link to comment
Mother Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 This is just a new thing here on Mrs. S so we are all still trying to get used to it. SSMiki. And I too am interested in if the bleach would work in these cases. It's cheap and accessible. Maybe someone will let us know if they try it. Link to comment
westbrook Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 BLEACH!!!! before using BLEACH baths or any BLEACH on your dogs or any other animal... please use it on *YOURSELF* first! how do you like it? feels good doesn't it! I use bleach on my rabbit scratches to keep them from getting infected... burn!!!! bleach dries out your hands, can you imagine bathing a child or dog in it? at least a child can use lotion but try putting lotion on a dog. I just can't imagine using bleach on an open wound even greatly diluted. Link to comment
SusanH Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 If you swim in a pool or drink city water, you are exposed to chlorine. Not to say it's healthy to have chlorine in the water, but it is there. If it wasn't, a lot more nasty things would be! My schnauzer doesn't get hot spots either, but if she did, I would try it. The dilution for a bath treatment of eczema or MRSA is 1/4 cup of household bleach in an entire bathtub full of water. I don't see much harm in burning or stinging from this. But, YMMV. I did come across another article yesterday that said wetting tea bags and placing them on the hot spots is supposed to help as well, due to the tannins in the tea. I don't have a link, because I read it in a woman's magazine at MIL's house. As a nurse, I have used Dakin's solution for wound care. It's basically clorox in dilution. Here is a PDF on making your own at home: http://doreen.mkbmemorial.com/NF/dakins.pdf Link to comment
snapshotmiki Posted July 1, 2009 Share Posted July 1, 2009 Thank you for the information and link! I appreciate your time. Link to comment
madamkitty Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Hi. I'm probably gonna get some feedback on this one. My hubby and I raised Chow's for 7 years until sombody poisoned our babies over the fence. My male was named Wickett and was totally black except for his teeth, a true baby but highly protective of his family, human and animals. He would get at least 3 hot spots a year, in the SE with temps up to 106 it seemed inevititable. We started keeping the burnt motor oil from oil changes from your vehicles. It can be strained but it takes awhile to do so. Pour the cooled oil directly on the hot spot, no rubbing into the wound, this is after you have clipped the hair back. Don't ask how or why this works, I don't know. An old man told my husband how to do this after seeing Wickett with a hot spot and it works. It taste so nasty they don't lick the oil after one lick. The wound is covered and sealed in oil and heals within a week. It southes the skin so no more itch. Oh, and it's free. We also keep Chinaberry trees in our yard to repel fleas and ticks. Started out with one tree in 1993 we just replanted sproutlings as I call them, in the last three years. The 3 yr old in my front yard is over 10 ft high. I have 32 cats and until recently 3 large dogs. Not one has fleas or are bothered by ticks. Take small limbs covered with leaves off trees, put on floor in front of inside/outside doors- makes a barier no inside fleas. Put the small limbs where any fleas show up and they leave. Anyone bothered by flies or gnats? take basil and catnip, place in small cloth or net bag and hang in corner or where ever you want- they're gone. Link to comment
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