Thank you so much for all the replies I got to my question the other day about food allergies and hot spots. This morning, I took Emmie into the vet and WOW ... what an ordeal at least from a mom's perspective! The vet shaved the area and the actual infection, once she got all the fur off, was all down her jawline. It was difficult for her to shave the fur because the area was so raw underneath and it had oozed overnight creating a very hard crust on top. The vet, the tech and I both held Emmie down, petting her and telling her how good she was. She squirmed some and definitely did not like the clippers, but overall, the vet was amazed at how well she tolerated the procedure. She said she would have had to anesthetize most dogs for that. After the fur was off, she examined the whole area, cleaned it and then checked Emmie's ear. The ears were both clean, no infection. She said she's inclined to think it is a contact allergy, but admits that no one really knows what causes hot spots. She also said Goldens seem to be more susceptible to them than most breeds. She told me that her husband (also a vet) has found that adding Norweigan Sea Kelp to their diets greatly helps about 2/3 of dogs to avoid hot spots, but it has to be Norweigan. They tried other types and it didn't work. So in the end, Emmie got three prescriptions and is now sleeping ... poor baby. I'm going to try again to attach a picture of her below:
Emmie's Hot Spot Update
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What a sweet pup. I'm glad she is getting treated and the hair will grow quickly.
That's what happened with Emmie's hot spot. Last week, it was a little spot about the size of a nickel. I treated it and it was healing nicely. Then on Friday, DH noticed a trickle of blood down her face. My guess is that the original hot spot was healing and beginning to itch and she scratched it. From there, it took off like wildfire. I cannot tell you how shocked I was to see that infection all down her jawline once her fur had been shaved off! I tried to clip her myself last week, but it was very difficult to do with just one person. Tonight, she seems to be feeling a little better. She ate some dinner and went for a nice car ride with DH, which she always enjoys.
Can anyone tell me if the picture of Emmie I attached made it on to my post above? I tried following someone's instructions and I think I did everything right. I can see the photo, but I could also see the photo on my previous thread while everyone said they couldn't.
Can anyone tell me if the picture of Emmie I attached made it on to my post above? I tried following someone's instructions and I think I did everything right. I can see the photo, but I could also see the photo on my previous thread while everyone said they couldn't.
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Yup, your darling Emmie's photo came through loud and clear; she's very cute!
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Poor Emmie I feel you're pain, we are now at Hot Spot number 3 with Chloe within the last 3 month, the first one went out of control and needed a bet visit the last two I been able to mange and get under control. Hugs to Emmy and hope she feels better soon!
Have you ever heard about adding Norweigan sea kelp to Chloe's diet? The vet I saw today for Emmie's hot spot said that he did a lot of research into dietary ways to control hot spots and that's what a lot of research pointed to. He said you can't use the Florida sea kelp or any other kind. It has to be Norweigan. He said that in his experience, it works well on about 50% of dogs, really well on about 25% and not at all on the other 25%. I never heard of it before but he said that if Emmie starts becoming a hot spot regular, I might want to consider trying that.
We've been fighting hot spots this summer with our Riko. We have determined he has allergies to Wheat, however even with no wheat he's had spots. One festered and festered despite meds from the vet (3 visits to the vet).
I did some research online and found that many used Gold Bond powder on hot spots....so grasping at straws (and after 3 $30 bottles of hot spot spray) we tried it.
IT IS A MIRACLE!
We brush Riko daily. Rather than finding a festered hot spot, we are finding them small....so, once we notice the "goop", we know there is a spot...we have clippers, so we shave the area and apply gold bond...it stops it in its tracks! The spot we were fighting (it was big...) for weeks, stopped and is now completely healed!
We also just switched him to fish and potato food.....of course he gets no wheat!
Good luck....the gold bond REALLY works....just an idea for you!
I did some research online and found that many used Gold Bond powder on hot spots....so grasping at straws (and after 3 $30 bottles of hot spot spray) we tried it.
IT IS A MIRACLE!
We brush Riko daily. Rather than finding a festered hot spot, we are finding them small....so, once we notice the "goop", we know there is a spot...we have clippers, so we shave the area and apply gold bond...it stops it in its tracks! The spot we were fighting (it was big...) for weeks, stopped and is now completely healed!
We also just switched him to fish and potato food.....of course he gets no wheat!
Good luck....the gold bond REALLY works....just an idea for you!
Hi there...
We use the extra strength, in the green bottle. You've got remove the hair from the spot first so it can air out, and then pat the gold bond right on the spot.
Riko had a huge one that we had taken him to the vet for, that wasn't clearing up, despite medication. We put the gold bond to it and it healed. It's now not there and he has hair.
He's completely free right now of hot spots.
Good luck....I'm watching the thread, so if you have any questions let me know.
We use the extra strength, in the green bottle. You've got remove the hair from the spot first so it can air out, and then pat the gold bond right on the spot.
Riko had a huge one that we had taken him to the vet for, that wasn't clearing up, despite medication. We put the gold bond to it and it healed. It's now not there and he has hair.
He's completely free right now of hot spots.
Good luck....I'm watching the thread, so if you have any questions let me know.
One thing I did with Emmie was to use the blow dryer on the cool setting and very low to "air out" her hot spot. The fur was clipped so I know air was circulating, but I wanted to make sure it was drying out. I thought Emmie might not like the blow dryer, but it was very low and I shielded her eyes from it and I actually thought it comforted her. Maybe it felt good. My husband noticed she would be lulled to sleep while I was doing it.
She's doing a lot better now. The fur is starting to grow back and she's off all meds. She's only scratched it a couple of times, but we've caught her every time I think and said "No scratching." I think she understood. We haven't had to use the Elizabethan collar, which I am very happy about.
She's doing a lot better now. The fur is starting to grow back and she's off all meds. She's only scratched it a couple of times, but we've caught her every time I think and said "No scratching." I think she understood. We haven't had to use the Elizabethan collar, which I am very happy about.
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