A day in the life...

Probably thinking we have been away....some fun little get away where the pack and I were having a ton of fun...
When in reality for a little over two weeks we have been home...Bailey and I literally tethered to one another due to a hotspot. Oh yeah, tethered. Now think about being tethered to an 80 lb dog....personal needs such as bathroom visits...not sure about you...but I sort of like my privacy for certain such things. My showers were very interesting for I would attach him to a long line....run it over the glass door so that at any sign of even an attempt at scratching I could get him to stop.

For those that do not know what a hotspot is....it is a moist weeping, oozing sore that can develop due to bug bites, allergy, scratching, biting.
I have a good many years experience with our canine friends and have had wonderful teachers...all of which by the way have been Goldens. They get their fair share of hotspots.

I am happy to say a couple never experienced a hotspot not a one during their time with me. Though I think back to one....Phoenix who had severe allergies. Daily examinations...hands on feeling the muzzle, neck area....the body....any lumps, bumps, sores, scabs. All that fur, well it is not just with one's eyes that we depend on for a good examination of a dog. Touch is as equally important.
He had a few beauts in his lifetime.

Home remedies do work if caught early for the majority of hotspots....though, there have been those occasions....although rare where I would say Wow....the regular remedies just did not work for that hotspot. The size, look would determine treatment...experience teaches you what to do. Very rarely did they require me to seek medical treatment.



There are so many home remedies...and yes,I have my favorites. Line up twenty dog savvy people and ask about Home Remedies for Hotspots and the list will be long....and they will swear by each treatment.
The size, look, location and how rapidly they grow is how I determine treatment. If a dry area....bonds medicated powder can help... I personally keep on hand neo predef if a little more power is required. I have made up ointments, used freshly gotten Aloe gel. I have used tea bags for some...tannic acid that helps to dry the area up. A week to two week is the usual duration of most hotspots with drying and clearing up after a couple of days, that is if you can control any further trauma from occurring.

Poor Bailey...back in early June he had his first Hotspot. We had been attacked by yellow flies, he and I seemed to have a serious reaction to it. The yellow fly season is May and June meaning they are in abundance during this time. All other times when it is cloudy, overcast....or at dusk You will often see them around....though they usually do not bother us.

Imagine my surprise when I woke one Saturday morning to a bloody scene. Having gone to bed very early in the morning...leaving Baily sleeping soundly in the living room...peaceful sleep. Three hours later he had made chop meat out of his neck by scratching himself. He was irritable...not wanting the area touched.



I cleaned the area off to get a good look...I mean bloody, oozing spot. Pressed a dry soft cloth on the area and applied pressure. Rule of thumb....hotspots and area surrounding should be shaved clean...I Disinfected a clipper blade and shaved the entire area, then cleaned and dried....cut some aloe to get the gel...applied. I then gave him an allergy pill.


Day Five

A happy hat (Elizabethan collar or soft collar roll) could not be used due to the wounds location....neck. As the day progressed....this area got bigger, and bigger. The itch was driving him mad....and yes....me crazy for I was now fighting to prevent him from scratching himself. Put a sock on his rear foot and he was then driven to chew it off while attempting to scratch....distracting him with peanut butter bones....walks....nothing worked...he had to scratch...he looked obsessed. Just one swipe of his paw and he would be a be a bloody mess again. I dremeled his rear nails, just to make sure they were as smooth as could be...I wrapped the neck area with a light weight towel to prevent further damage...which just seemed to drive him into further obsession of scratching. Nothing I did soothed the itch, eased the pain...even those over the counter ointments that claim such things. All the while the area was getting bigger...


One last cleaning before heading to the local emergency clinic. I now had an extra pair of hands to help with restraining. The hotspot had gotten bigger still and more fur had to be shaved away from the area. He was in a good amount of discomfort so it was decided it best to sedate him. I was right at his side....the local vet and I worked side by side....and I was grateful to have been allowed to assist.

Sometimes...even if on rare occasions traditional medicine is required, and this was one of those times.
A little over two weeks later and I would say he continues to heal very nicely. The area continued to get bigger days later after treatment....though at a much slower pace. Oh....and we were really tethered to one another for that was really the only way to prevent him from causing further trauma to the area. The area which at it's largest size was his neck and face area, ranging up and behind his ear flap and with spots running down his chest area.

The cause....I really have no way of knowing for sure....but my guess is a yellow fly bite. I too was bitten that Saturday when we were out side and I was cleaning his wound area. One landed on my right leg and and took a bite. I thought I would be fine for I immediately took a benadryl as instructed by my doctor. As time progressed the itch was unbelievable. My leg doubled in size, the next day...leg a little bigger...while the bite was about an inch under my knee now my foot swelled up. i would look at my leg, then Bailey's wound and shake my head.

I read that during a season, though this allergy I am told is considered rare with each bite during a season the allergy reaction will worsens. So it seems for Bailey and I.

While I guess all living beings have a purpose there are a few bugs that i just do not get..other then annoyance...and the risk of illness...I cannot think of any purpose the yellow fly has...can you?

Hot Spot...