Guinness has a hot spot....
by Leanne Stevens
Case history:
(I wrote this in 2010 — Guinness is my German Shepherd puppy who was just 5 months old
when this happened).
Tuesday morning I noticed a lump on his backend — just about the tail. I didn't have time to investigate then but it was the first thing I did when I got home from work. It was a large, thick scab — maybe an inch long. I didn't know what caused it…maybe he was injured. So I gently teased the scab off with a metal brush.
Under the scab was a small wound... maybe a bite? Not sure, but the skin was moist and sticky — no blood. I've had dogs with hot spots before and knew that's what it was. It was so small, however, that I thought I could treat it myself. So Wednesday I washed it, medicated it but mostly figured I'd keep it clean and dry. I also applied Cortisone cream which helped a little. By Wednesday afternoon, however, it was larger and poor Guinness was crying in pain. I called the vet and made an appointment for Friday — I felt really bad about not being able to do something on Thursday but I really had to be at work.
Because Guinness is a puppy, I really didn't want to take him in to the clinic — I wanted to have him treated at home. I called Elizabeth Greenlees, DVM, who is a vet who does house calls. Good decision. Dr. Greenlees came over on Friday ...by then the hot spot was quite large and we had to shave a large portion of Guinness' hip and back area. This was very painful but he's a trooper and let us take care of him. He's on medications now, and I bathe it gently with water and a disinfectant. Today is Saturday ...so you can see how fast a hot spot develops.
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This is Guinness with his new attire. |
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Treatment for Guinness:
For Guinness, Dr. Greenlees prescribed Prednisone (low dose), washing with water, and then applying a disinfectant and Panalog cream and the dreaded collar. This was written on day one, and he is better though still very uncomfortable. I did go out and buy him a foam collar instead of the plastic one, and it is much more comfortable for him and for me.
What is a hot spot?
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Also know as moist pyoderma or a moist eczema, it's caused by an outside irritant or an allergy. Often caused by a flea bite — lots of dogs are allergic to the flea saliva and react this way. It looks like a moist sticky area — oozes and often pretty smelly. Looks like the skin is infected. Because it's extremely irritating to the dog, they lick it, chew on it, and that causes it to spread. You may not notice it right away as the hair mats down on top and sticks to it. Hard to see in this picture, but the center of the shaved area is actually covered with yellow crusty stuff.
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Most commonly they are caused by fleas or some allergy. The allergy can be anything from food to pollen. Or it can be caused by an irritant — could be tick bites, burrs, mats, summer heat — just about anything that irritates the skin can cause a hot spot. They seem to happen more often in the summer — maybe due to the heat or more exposure to the outside elements.
Treatment must be started immediately and usually requires a veterinarian. Often you will be asked to bathe the area, apply some topical medicine, give an oral medicine (prednisone and/or an antibiotic).
The best way to prevent this from happening is daily brushing and examination of your dog's skin. Keep them clean and free of mats. Initial treatment consists of keeping the area clean and dry and perhaps using a antiseptic solution. If you don't get control of it immediately, call your veterinarian!
And, by the way, I have never had a vet come to my home before but, after my experience with Dr. Greenlees, I would definitely do it again. She spent lots of time with me and the puppy, explained everything clearly and was able to begin a relationship with the dogs. I highly recommend this if it works for you in your situation.
Leanne Stevens
Mother of Guinness June 2010
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