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Hot Spots - Ugh!

by Kenny Weiss
(New Jersey)

My 2 year old blue merle Aussie (Maya) is prone to hot spots. We are now better at noticing pretty quickly if she is scratching or biting excessively and are quick to take her to the vet and/or start treating the spot. Does anyone else have this problem? We feed Maya Instinct dog food (2 cups a day) and use some salmon oil on it because we heard that was good for her coat. She gets a ton of exercise -- she runs with me 3 or 4 days a week for about 3 miles. Don't know if she is allergic to something else (maybe some of her treats?) or if this is common to Aussies. She is a mostly happy, friendly pup although a bit quirky at times (afraid of ceiling fans!). Loves other dogs and very loyal to family.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

Kenny

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hot spots
by: jcrply

Does your pup have anything to occupy her during the times that you are not running with her? Aussies get bored easily.
An old fashioned remedy that can't hurt and might help is APPLE CIDER VINEGAR (don't substitute the other types of vinegars). Put it full-strength on any itching areas. Dilute it half and half with water if the skin is already broken. It definitely won't hurt her if she ingests it. I looked up Nature's Variety Instinct dog food. If that is the one you meant, then it should be a good choice since it is grain-free. Don't give pup any grains. Alternative would be to try a raw diet.

hot spots
by: Kenny

Thanks. I will look into the apple cider vinegar. Is that suggested because it will dry out the spot?

Yes, that is the same Instinct dog food.

Maya has lots of toys although she doesn't seem that interested in them. Mostly, she wants to play with other dogs and she already gets to do that alot! Many of our neighbors have dogs, and we take her out often to romp around with them. I also take her to obedience training once a week. I would say that 4 or 5 out of 7 days she is pretty occupied and that on 2 or 3 days she has a bit more "downtime." Even then, she still gets at least 2 long walks a day and a couple of shorter ones.

As a friend said to me -- when he dies, he wants to come back as my dog! I'm sure that goes for any dog owner interested enough to be on this site. :-)

Thanks for the help.

Kenny

hot spots
by: jcrply

Lucky dog! I wish mine had doggy friends to play with. Here is some info on apple cider vinegar which I just copied from vetingo.com:
"...Apple cider vinegar has many uses in addition to effective treatment for hot spots on dogs. This natural substance is derived from apples and includes important minerals, such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and iron. Many vitamins are also present, including beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B and vitamin E, as well as malic acid, tartaric acid and fiber. All of these are healthy for the body and can be of benefit when applied externally or ingested on a regular basis. Apple cider vinegar contains both antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, which can boost the immune system and treat localized areas, and it helps to alleviate itching...."
There is something else that you could try -and that is to change the protein source. If your current dog food is primarily chicken, you could try switching to lamb for example. Many articles that I have read recommend changing the meat source every few months to avoid developing an allergy.

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