Carl's "hot spot" adventure

Last Sunday there was a spot on Carl's neck about the size of a quarter where the hair was all wet and and icky.

We knew from experience (3 experiences, to be exact :) ) that this was a hot spot.

The first one he ever had we freaked out and took him to the vet, they shaved the hair and gave him a shot of antiobiotics and charged us $80 :eek: so the next two he had, we figured out how to cure it ourselves.

So, for this one, we clipped off the hair around the spot with scissors so that it could dry up, we also sprayed it with this anti-bacterial, anti-fungal spray stuff.

It didn't really get much better, in fact the next day there were two hot spots. And in two more days, there were 3 hot spots all together!

So we took him to the vet yesterday and paid another $80 for them to give him a shot of antibiotics and give us a bottle of antibiotics. :rolleyes:

The vet said that hot spots are a allergic reaction to pollen. But I've also read that they are caused by tick bites, flea bites, dry flaky skin, moisture, and a number of other things, I don't think anybody really knows for sure.

So now Carl gets spoonfulls of canned food (mmm!) 3 times a day. What he doesn't know is there's medicine in there too, but he eats it so fast that he won't ever find out! :D

Poor Carl... at least he gets yummy food out of the deal. I hope his hot spots heal up, and you don't have a big problem with them again.

I just spent $150 at the vet on Tuesday for Reece for something that I have been trying to fix for a loooooooong time and am not getting much help from the vets.

Sara, so sorry to hear about Carl! Poor baby. I thought Star was developing a hot spot on her paw last week and I freaked. Hopefully it is a pollen reaction and will calm down with the cooler weather. Give him a hug too, OK? He's gotta be loving that canned food!! :)

Aly, what's the problem you're talking about with Reece? Worried!!!
Hugs to Reece, Lolly and Shiloh

I hate hot spots! Daisy had one two years ago and I freaked! LOL. I am glad Carl's feeling better.

Yes and Aly, you can't just mention casually that our sweet little Reece has a problem and then not give us all the details! Is he okay?

Poor Carl,

I hope his hot spots clear up soon.

Opps, sorry guys. I didn't mean to leave you hanging. It is his anal gland problem. Its just been insane. I mean his butt and fur around it is SO RED from CONSTANT licking. And now the vet is discouraging me from surgery. I would never put Reece through surgery if I didn't think it was necessary. I really want to do what is best for him, and I will be beside myself with worry if he does get surgery, but I feel its what's best for him. He has no comfort between his anal glands and his ear infections.

I got a second opinion on Tuesday at the vet, but he was discouraging too. Then I got low blood sugar on the way home, while stuck in traffic. Thought I was gonna pass out, was not a fun experience.

Aly Sweetie, take care of yourself!! You need to be at your best to help your special pup Reece. Be sure to keep healthy! Stress can really mess up your system. We'll keep all fingers and paws crossed for EVERYONE at your house to feel better and QUICK!

Maybe you should hide a human treat in the doggie treat bag for Reece on those trips to the vet...you both deserve them! :D

Aly, you have to take care of yourself too, you know! All the furbabies need you healthy! And poor, sweet little Reece. We can only imagine the discomfort he is experiencing from his ears and hiney. Why are they discouraging the surgery? Are they treating it in any other way? I hope you are resting up today, Aly. Reece too. And give Lolly and Shiloh hugs and kisses as well. Their photos in your sig. are so precious. What a beautiful family you have. :) Sandra

Sara, I hope Carl will heal up and feel better soon. Those hot spots can be ugly and expensive, as I found out every summer with our lab, Chuck. And as much as we tried, we could never heal him with our home remedies.

Aly, I know you worry about Reese. I'm sure there is a reason that the veterinarians don't want to do the surgery, but they aren't living with him in his misery either.
Good luck, Aly.

The reason they are discouraging surgery is because they said the recovery process is not fun. For a few weeks after, he might not be able to control his pottying. I had heard from people who's dogs went through the surgery that the recovery is pretty quick. I'm going to have to really research it.

I went in to get a refill on Reece's ear medication. I told them that it was a yeast infection, but my vet told me he had to test it again. I told him I was SURE it was yeast because he gets these infections chronically. They wouldn't listen to me and retested him. They also trimmed his ear hair and charged me for each of these things. So I spent $150 on anal gland expressing and ear stuff. I also just spent $450 on school books, and it is time for Shiloh's yearly shots :eek:

[ September 09, 2001: Message edited by: aly ]

Rottie,
I hope Carl's hot spots clear up soon. Usually the shot is not an antibiotic but a shot of cortizone to stop itching. A topical antibiotic such as Panalog is then applied to the shaved spot.

Hot spots can be caused by a ton of different things such as flea bites, allergies, etc. If the hot spots are cronic it is usually a food induced allergy. I use oral gel to numb the area after shaving it and apply the panalog lightly on my own. This usually works but you need to keep after it for about a week of steady treatment.

Aly,
My Dixie also suffers from Anal problems. I had the vet teach me how to express her anal glands so I can do it on my own. Normally this occurs each time a dog goes potty but in some cases (like mine and yours) it doesn't. I express the glands once a week and her butt licking has diminished drastically. I know it's not fun to express the anal glands but we do what we have too for our furry children.

Perhaps if you learn this technique it will help your baby too!

Oh goodness, Carl...you better get better soon, my faraway friend. I have never had first hand experience with hot spots, but at the vet I worked at there were SO many dogs with that problem. I know they are yucky, itchy things and I hope Carl heals up quick. And soon it will be winter and you don't have to worry about those nasty fleas, ticks, or polen so no more hot spots :)

Poor Carl! :( I hope you fell better soon, sweetie! Good Luck! We all love you, Carl! :)

Thank you so much everyone for your sweet comments. Carl's feeling much better now, and his hot spots are all healed up. :)

So happy to hear your feeling better Carl! Those hot spots are no fun :( Hugs to you dear Carl!!