# Awful hot spot



## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I'm so sorry... yeah, hot spots are a pain and usually much larger than you think. To address the clipper issue (let's hope you don't have to use them anytime soon!)
it's basically a matter of making them a good experience. This means sitting in the floor with the clippers running and pumping treats into your pup. It's sort of a desensitization process. Once they are calm with the clippers noise you have to actually touch them on the dog... but honestly if it's not something you use on a regular basis I would just ask the vet to give a mild sedative if you need to do this again.
There are several topical ointments the vet can prescribe but would follow his advice. If it doesn't start to heal then take him back and ask for something. The over the counter stuff may not be strong enough to help. I've had good luck with TeaTree oil but honestly if it's a full blown hot spot, listen to the advice of the person you paid to give it.


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

puddles everywhere said:


> ...if it's a full blown hot spot, listen to the advice of the person you paid to give it.


I agree with Puddles, but I will add what worked for the one hot spot that Rocket has had: coned when unsupervised, and hydrogen peroxide. He hated it, but it helped dry it out and killed the bacteria. I just dumped it on there about once a day and waited til the bubbles stopped, then I dried him off and sent him on his way. I stopped doing that when I could see that it was healing and then I let it heal on its own. The cone didn't come off until it was about 90% gone. You will find things on the internet both for and against using hydrogen peroxide on dogs, but it worked for us and did not damage his skin.


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## Maggie'sVoice (Apr 4, 2018)

azzure said:


> Duffy has his first ever hot spot at age 3 and 1/2...no skin issues before this and I have no idea what caused this one...maybe a tick bite? We have pulled a few ticks off him in the past several weeks. We took him to the vet yesterday and the affected area is much larger than I thought it was...he is now on carprofen, an antibiotic and benadryl. The itching makes him miserable.
> 
> The vet recommended against using anything topical, which I thought was unusual, as I had been researching the best sprays before we took him in. The benadryl does seem to be working.
> 
> ...


As far as a topical is concerned, it depends on where it is and if a true hotspot (raw wound) but do NOT use an ointment. They keep the area open for infection since it keeps it moist. Use something like Bio-Groom Lido-Med spray. The Lidocaine will help numb the area and the Benzethonium Chloride (alcoholic /drying properties) helps dry the area which cause it to scab over. This is nature's own bandage. It also has Aloe Vera and Lanolin to help repair the skin faster.

I'm going to try and post a link (not sure if i can) for you to look at.

https://www.amazon.com/Bio-Groom-Li...=UTF8&qid=1524082101&sr=8-2&keywords=lido-med


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## azzure (Dec 10, 2011)

Thanks for all the help. I wanted to add that this hot spot is in an area (below/behind his ear) where a cone will not work. Instead, we have covered Duffy's right rear paw (the one that did the damage) with THREE OLD SOCKS, gently secured by duct tape. It seems to be working!


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## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Oh no! Poor Duffy, I'm so sorry. Piper got one once after she got scratched by a dog when she was 5-6 months old. She's never had one since though (fingers crossed). 

Has Duffy been to a groomer who uses clippers? I wonder if part of his reaction might have been from pain and not wanting anyone to get near the area, plus a scary thing coming at him. They are so painful, esp if big and there's a deeper skin infection. So that might be why he needed sedation.

I would follow your vets advice. You could ask if there is a cleanser you should use (even if its just rinsing with sterile saline). You don't need topical antibiotics if he's on oral ones. When Piper had hers, the vet told me I could use a lido-wound spray/cleanser (like Maggiesvoice used), but I would get an OK from your vet first. You don't want to make the area more irritated, or use anything that seals the wound off from the air. 

The vet also might not want you putting anything on it if you don't know the cause. A dog that has one from allergies etc might be more likely to have reactions. 

The biggest thing is exposure to air. Its oxygen that kills a lot of the bad bacteria on the wound. Thats why the whole area (and a good deal around it) has to be shaved very closely--so fur can't cover it up. Its why unshaved hot spots grow like lightning. 

Personally, I would NOT put peroxide on it--its caustic and kills healthy skin cells along with bacteria. There's a reason we don't use it on wounds in the hospital. Oxygen in the air and oral antibiotics should control the infection. Furthermore, anything that could potentially cause more discomfort and irritation you want to avoid, especially if you can't protect the area with a cone.


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## jdavisryan (Jan 28, 2018)

This has been some years ago, but our vet prescribed something called Burrows Solution for Moses when he had a terrible hotspot that refused to heal. I think it also had an analgesic, and it cleared up his hotspot beautifully. I don't know if it's still recommended but we were so thankful to see that horrible wound finally healed. Anyone else familiar with it?


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## Lilliam (Apr 28, 2010)

My Max gets hotspots every summer. He’s right now so I’ve perfected this process, I’m sad to say. 
IMMEDIATELY clip the hair, I mean the instant you see it. If he doesn’t like the clippers then use small nail scissors. 
Then I use Betagen which I keep around because he’s prone to hotspots. It’s a prescription topical spray that works great for hotspots. 
I then make appointments for four laser treatments. 
This approach has cut the healing time down to a week. 
Here are some screenshots. You can see how quickly until the scab started to flake off. The first one was on June 6th after the first laser treatment. The last one was June 11.
























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## Our3dogs (Apr 3, 2008)

Hot spots are the worst! I remember a previous forum member using tea bags. I found it: _Boil some water - and brew some *tea* - cheap plain lipton (or the like) nothing fancy. Remove *teabags* from the water and wait for them to cool enough to use as a a *warm* compress. Part the hair around the *spot* and apply compress - at least 10 minutes or until the *teabags* are cold. _You can also google using black tea bags on hot spots and how the tea helps dry it up. Good luck!


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## GoldenCamper (Dec 21, 2009)

I spoke in the past about Sulfodene but got sick of saying the same old thing again and again on this forum. I included pictures but those old pictures are gone courtesy of photobucket. It works in a instant.

Never failed. Clip the area and keep it dry.

Sulfodene® Remedy Products - Sulfodene® Skin Medication for Dogs


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## Lilliam (Apr 28, 2010)

GoldenCamper said:


> I spoke in the past about Sulfodene but got sick of saying the same old thing again and again on this forum. I included pictures but those old pictures are gone courtesy of photobucket. It works in a instant.
> 
> Never failed. Clip the area and keep it dry.
> 
> Sulfodene[emoji768] Remedy Products - Sulfodene[emoji768] Skin Medication for Dogs




I remember you mentioning Sulfodene. 

I just never remember the name!!! I’m sure it’s at Petsmart, two minutes from my house. 


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## azzure (Dec 10, 2011)

Wow, so many suggestions! Bio-Groom Lido-Med, Betagen, Sulfodene and tea bags!! Duffy is healing nicely already and the benadryl seems to sooth his itch, but I'm really torn now about what to have on hand for next time. Positive/negative reviews of all the above are welcome. Amazon reviews seem to be about the same for all solutions.


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## Lilliam (Apr 28, 2010)

azzure said:


> Wow, so many suggestions! Bio-Groom Lido-Med, Betagen, Sulfodene and tea bags!! Duffy is healing nicely already and the benadryl seems to sooth his itch, but I'm really torn now about what to have on hand for next time. Positive/negative reviews of all the above are welcome. Amazon reviews seem to be about the same for all solutions.




Don’t forget the laser treatments. It sounded like voodoo medicine to me when I first heard from my vet it but it really speeds up the healing. 
I try not to use antibiotics unless it’s absolutely necessary. I also don’t like steroids that you take internally. So I go topical when I can. 


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