Hot Spot Remedy

Joshie · #1 07/03/12, 05:17 PM

I saw a comment about a hot spot on a thread and thought I'd share the treatment our service dog agency shared with us. Make a paste out of Gold Bod Medicated powder and hydrogen peroxide. Put it on the hot spot a couple times a day.

Ardie/WI · #2 07/03/12, 05:55 PM

I wonder if that would burn.

Minelson · #3 07/03/12, 06:13 PM

Hydrogen peroxide is very hard on the skin and can slow down healing. I wonder if it's because it's just enough to make a paste that makes is work.
I have used Vetrycin VF and put it on a hot spot in the AM and by PM it was so gone I couldn't even find the spot!
Spendy...but good stuff to have around. It also healed my hen that was scalped and had her entire top of her scull showing.

Joshie · #4 07/03/12, 08:01 PM

We have a very wimpy dog and he'd let me know if it hurt. I know that hydrogen peroxide isn't that great on skin but it allows you make a thick paste out of the medicated powder. It doesn't hurt and hot spots heal very quickly.

mekasmom · #5 07/03/12, 10:23 PM

Steroids do wonders for hotspots too.
I wish they sold dex OTC.

GrannyCarol · #6 07/04/12, 11:45 AM

Steroids work, but shouldn't be the first choice, they are so hard on the rest of the body! Personally I find that a good vit E cream works wonders on my touchy, allergic, dry skin. I love the stuff. Also there is no sting, just moisture on my skin and the healing of vit E. I find that my own skin problems are helped by keeping my skin clean, using fragrance free soaps and laundry products and getting air to it. In my grooming shop, I find that shaving the hair fairly short and giving the dog a good bath can often help the hot spot heal.

For a hot spot, I would be looking also to remove the cause. Does the dog have a couple of fleas that it is allergic to? Does it have a heavy coat that is keeping the skin from breathing well? Is it in really damp conditions, where the coat isn't drying out well to the skin? Are there other environmental allergens or irritants? Is the dog allergic to something in its food? As long as something is driving the hot spot, topical treatments will help, but not "cure" the problem. Some dogs with seasonal allergy problems do respond well to steroids during the peak times, but if you can find the underlying cause, you can really help the dog in the long run.

gapeach · #7 07/04/12, 01:17 PM

I use AC vinegar with a few drops of tea tree oil.

Joshie · #8 07/04/12, 02:38 PM

Vinegar can also be hard on the skin. The paste we make works well. Thankfully we have only needed it once or twice.

Hot spots are a skin infection so I wouldn't use oral steroids for them because even though they reduce inflammation steroids lower one's immunity. Hot spots hurt. Our Tootsie has one right now because she has been licking the spot where she got an IV last week.

mekasmom · #9 07/04/12, 09:22 PM

The vet always gives my dog steroids for his hot spot issues. They work wonders. If the dog has broken the skin scratching the hotspots then I could see antibiotics used too. Ours has had both steroids by mouth and injection and antibiotics with them often for hotspots.

Another thing that helps with the hotspot is just pouring benedryl directly onto the area. It takes down the redness, rash, inflammation. It doesn't work as well as Deximethizone, but it does help some.