# Hot spots.



## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Just thought i'd share this in case it helps anyone!

When I saw my first hot spot it was on Marty when he was around 10 months old. It started on his right cheek and within a day had more than doubled in size. I took him to the vet who shaved it and gave me Hibiscrub to bathe it and Fuciderm cream to apply sparingly. It got worse and worse, so the vet then added antibiotics to his treatment - still got worse.
He had to wear a buster collar as he kept scratching it and as hot spots ooze I had to clean the collar often too.

I was completely distraught as nothing was working and by now half of his entire face was bald - poor poor boy!

I found a Malamute forum and asked for advice. They all took it with a pinch of salt and said "so you've got your first hot spot eh?" They said Fuciderm was useless as it only keeps the spot wet and it needs to dry out, so their suggestions were:
*Shave the affected area - bathe with diluted Hibiscrub (dilute to pale pink in colour) then rinse off with clear tepid water - towel dry - then apply athletes foot powder. For the first three days bathe once a day then every other but apply the powder around three times every day.*
PRESTO!!! It started working straight away, I only had to treat it for 10 days. I used Mycil athletes foot powder and within two days the whole area was dry, after two weeks the scabiness (sorry) started to fall off then the fur began to grow back.

I told my vet about this treatment but I bet he's still prescribing Fuciderm and prolonging the agony - probably thinks i'm just another dramatic mummy.

Due to their wooly undercoats Mals get hot spots occasionally because water can get trapped and bacteria builds up and hot spots grow very rapidly. Have had a couple since but now I don't worry - amazing what you can find out on forums!

Thought this may help anyone who ever comes across the condition!


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

I gotta say Rupert had Fuciderm and it cleared his right up :thumbup:

I think it depends how far the hotspot has got. If its starting to spread its probably a bit late, but if you catch it mega early you can do as you say and use home ointments.

I've bought neem oil which is what I will slather it with now. I go on a golden retriever forum, lots of german/american/english people on there in particular. They tend to swear by gold bond powder. The general consensus there is to try and dry it out asap which is the chain of thought I prefer. But like with Rupert sometimes if they spread or are in an area you can keep them away from things like Fuciderm can help too.

The best things to do like you said though, clear the area completely, bath it with salt water to start with to clean it up and make sure it can 'breathe', it should never be covered not even with a t-shirt to stop them getting at it, I would go for a buster collar 100% the time!

I am going to try Neem oil next time, I totally forgot for his clipper rash, didn't even remember I'd got it til it was too late  Saying this if the Fuciderm hasn't helped this much by tomorrow I might try some Neem instead (got a natural antibiotic in it and is a herbal type thing).

As its broken skin I'm a bit chicken about putting things like athlete's foot powder on there. On the golden forum many use listerine mouthwash to give it a clean before putting powder on. I'm sure it would work tbh, and I will probably try it but maybe this Gold Bond powder instead 

I think tbh, it spreads if they lick or scratch or irritate it and with Fuciderm usually they are banned from getting at it, and with powders etc I bet it dries it so much even if they go for it a bit they can't do so much harm.

They are a pain in the backside, look so sore. Basically friction burns I think...


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Most hot spots are broken skin and it doesn't hurt the dog at all. Mal owners swear my Colloidal silver for wounds and internal use, like in the water but not for hot spots. Flynn had one on his bum and he couldn't reach that by liking - my fault as I didn't dry it properly when I cleaned it after emptying his anal glands once, such thick fur and had to get it dry. That's when a lot of mals get hot spots, if they've been bathed and an area hasn't been properly dried or been for a swim or hydro!
Like Fuciderm athletes foot powder is still an anti fungual just in powder form, so more drying!

Hope it clears up soon as it looks v sore. xx


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

Malmum said:


> Most hot spots are broken skin and it doesn't hurt the dog at all. Mal owners swear my Colloidal silver for wounds and internal use, like in the water but not for hot spots.
> Like Fuciderm athletes foot powder is still an anti fungual just in powder form, so more drying!
> 
> Hope it clears up soon as it looks v sore. xx


Yeah, tbh I'm not sure if the Fuciderm is helping this time and it kills him everytime I put it on. Might try some Neem oil in between the Fuciderm see if that's any good.

Not heard of Colloidal silver will have a google. Rupert's hotspot in May did hurt him 'cos he winced when I touched it 

Noticed his quite early but it spread like wildfire :scared:

ETA: saw you edited. Yeah Goldens I've heard can get it from going swimming and not quite drying off properly! think it makes them itch, they itch and take off the top layer of skin, it leaks plasma and goes all sticky/toffee coloured and itches more etc etc etc. Some people's doggies get them on their faces and everything don't they


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Yeah and they smell like human leg ulcers if not caught early - and that's rank, lol!


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## kazschow (Oct 23, 2008)

For deep hotspots, I find fusiderm great, for smaller ones, I use a warm salty water solution, I never use hibiscrub, my vet put me off it as she thinks it's more aggressive than the salty water, and kills any good bacteria in the surounding tissue. Have to say the salt alone tends to work on my chows


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

I've used salty water or bicarbonate of soda if i've found one in the evening and had no Hibiscrub but I like to keep Hibiscrub for any wound, including human as it's used in hospital all the time. Love the smell of it too, reminds me of when I had my first baby - ahhh the memories, lol! 

It also kills bad bacteria - that's why it's used in hospitals.


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## moboyd (Sep 29, 2009)

None of my lot have suffered hot spots, but I know many other mal owners whos dogs have, and they swear by the athelets foot powder for drying it out and clearing it up, I remember getting some gold bond powder when I was over in the states because many swore by that(its really the same as the atheletes foot powder) I never got to use it because the dogs never got hot spots, although we have had fusiderme prescribed for other issues in the past, and to be honest I am not keen on the stuff and didnt think it helped the matter at the time, plus it has the problem of thinning skin so I try to avoid using it on the dogs whenever I can.

Mo


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## dexter (Nov 29, 2008)

not had hotspots for years now, here's what i used to do to treat one.. ciut all hair off and around sore, bathe it with hibbiscrub and then sprinkle stervac on. Stervac was used in hospitals for preventing umbilical cord infections., sadly you can't buy it anymore.


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Fuciderm (0.5% fucidic acid) or Fucidin (2% fucidic acid) - much the same but stronger - is a very strong anti fungual cream. If I have to apply it to a patient at the hosp I have to use a peice the size of a pea for a whole human leg - that's how strong it is, so i'd rather use athletes foot powder.
You'd be surprised how liberally people use this stuff and it should only be used for seven days as it takes off the top layer of skin and can damage healthy skin underneath.

I knew a nurse who used a whole tube on a patients leg  she got in loads of trouble!

I remember Stervac - great stuff it was!


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## babycham2002 (Oct 18, 2009)

I noticed Willow had a hot spot NYE. I immediately came onto the forum and searched for advice which I had come across before.(Thanks malmum)
I treated it with athletes foot powder spray. Cleaning it every second day with savlon antiseptic spray which has they same active ingredient as hibiscrub but is already dilute and in a handy spray.
Shaving the area and doing the above cleared up the hot spot in days.
Willow had to go to the vets for her year check up and vaccs a few days into the new year and the vet was very impressed with the way it had been treated. She said she could offer me antibiotics or a cream if I wanted it but she was sure that what was already being done was more than sufficient.


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## GoldenShadow (Jun 15, 2009)

Malmum said:


> Fuciderm (0.5% fucidic acid) or Fucidin (2% fucidic acid) - much the same but stronger - is a very strong anti fungual cream. If I have to apply it to a patient at the hosp I have to use a peice the size of a pea for a whole human leg - that's how strong it is, so i'd rather use athletes foot powder.
> You'd be surprised how liberally people use this stuff and it should only be used for seven days as it takes off the top layer of skin and can damage healthy skin underneath.
> 
> I knew a nurse who used a whole tube on a patients leg  she got in loads of trouble!
> ...


Sounds about right re Fuciderm 

Rupert is meant to have it twice a day for seven days (started on about Wednesday). Will any harm come to that patch if I just stop using it now? Its scabbed over...


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## Petloversdigest (Dec 10, 2010)

I understood fuciderm was antibacterial rather than antifungal - which makes me think the poweder is just helping because it is keeping the skin dry (which doesn't allow bacteria to spread and grow). My lab used to get hotspots and I just put a tiny amount of fusiderm on until it scabbed over - then I just let it heal.


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Petloversdigest said:


> I understood fuciderm was antibacterial rather than antifungal - which makes me think the poweder is just helping because it is keeping the skin dry (which doesn't allow bacteria to spread and grow). My lab used to get hotspots and I just put a tiny amount of fusiderm on until it scabbed over - then I just let it heal.


It's an anti fungal, anti inflammatory and an anti bacterial gel, much the same as athletes foot powder but the latter is of course more drying and heals hot spots faster. Glad you found it useful babycham.


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