hi every one, can anybody tell me what is the best thing to but on hot spots, my lab has a real nasty one on his cheek, and i have been washing it with malaseb shampoo, but whats the best thing to put on it to dry it up, sue

I have always found cleaning it with diluted hibiscrub will kill bacteria and fungus, and then wound powder seems to sooth and dry them up quickly.  If they are very inflamed then I have found Fuciderm ointment/cream prescribed by the Vet gets results withinn a day.

Aren't they a nightmare.My boy develpoed one a couple of days before Manchester and another a couple of days before Crufts!Me thinks it could be the shampoo.The first time it was off to the vets for the usual clip,hibiscrub and fuciderm.Before crufts i was determined not to have his hair shaved.Used just dilute hibiscrub and fuciderm.Managed to clear up in 3-4 days.

My eldest Rottie gets them and hers are usually on her cheeks. They seem to take ages to clear up, even with the hipiscrub and fuciderm and with the whole area shaved. When she got her last one I did some research and fellow forumites recommended tea trea oil and/or colloidal silver. She didn't really like the tea tree (think it was the smell), but it cleared up in only a couple of days of using it.

Hi
can someone tell what hot spots are please? are they open areas of sores or just patches that the dog likes to lick and then causes them to become infected?

moist dermatitis

The initial cause may be an insect bite a scratch, then if there is dampness and warmth it allow either bacterial or fungal infection.  there is a cycle of self trauma and the body reacting with an inflammatory response and the area oozes.  Yuk.

I have them just appear in humid hot weather, whether there was any insect involvement I couldn't say but they have occurred at the time when fleas are most plentiful, though none have been found on the dog.

I have also had them occur when another dog has grabbed at it's fellow in over rough play and obviously caused a small wound, which has turned into a hot spot.

With my bred I am always desperate to limit hairloss, as it can take until the next moult to grow back the same colour, not good if your showing and the dog looks moth eaten.

Can I just point out that neat tea tree oil shouldn't be used as it is quite toxic and can cause lethal fits in dogs and cats.

Our newfs have suffered with them over the years and we usued to just use hibiscrub untill a breeder friend of bernese told us to
us daktarin athlete foot spray, as it contains the same ingrediants as the malaseb lotion you get from the vets. I stops the iching
and kills the infections straight away.

We have only ever had to give one application when one has flared up and it works great.

Hope this helps

Kodie

My Rottie had a couple of these on the back of his head a couple months back.  They were caused by rough play which created a couple scratches which then scabbed up.  Once the scabs came off he had 2 bald patches and dry scurfy skin so I applied E45 cream and within 3 days the hair was growing back.