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.