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AiredaleTerriers.org
Airedale Terrier Information & Referral Resource
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Hot spots, known as acute moist pyoderma, are warm, painful, oozing patches of
the skin that can appear very quickly
(often in a single day). They generally form as a response to an initial
irritant, such as a fleabite, a local allergic reaction, or
other causes (ticks, burrs, mosquitoes).
Many hot spots are the result of burns from too-hot clipper blades. If you clip
your own dog, change blades frequently so that hot spots don't get a chance to
start. If you use a professional groomer, check your dog over carefully when
you get him home and watch closely for the next couple of days for any licking
and chewing.
Dogs will bite or scratch at the skin, making it vulnerable to infection and
inflammation. More hot spots are likely to form in the spring and summer
seasons, due to the increased prevalence of allergens in the environment and
the complications of shedding.
Hot spots are treated by clipping the hair around the sore, cleaning the area
and treating with topical medications. Oral
antibiotics may also be prescribed. In order to prevent additional trauma to
the area, your veterinarian may fit your pet with
an Elizabethan collar (funnel collar), or place bandages on your pet’s feet to
avoid scratching trauma.
The following are recommendations from Airedale owners. These ideas are shared
with the hope that they will help dogs and their owners. Please do not use
these suggestions for any commercial purpose without permission from the author.
Clean the area well - soak in warm, slightly salted water
with a terry
cloth (ie: soak the terry cloth & lay it over the area till
it is softened)
then gently scrub it clean. You can stop here & do this
step twice a day,
or carry on & put either powder (Eye & Wound powder -- dogs, or
Gold Bond powder -- human) OR scrub with Hibitane -- human & dog, OR spray
with Listerine
(has some alcohol in it but they don't mind too much--this
has a drying
effect).
Mix a teaspoon or so of sulphur powder in a couple of
tablespoons of bag balm. You are supposed to soak, scrub
clean and dry the area daily and then apply this salve. You
should use a plastic stick or
something to mix it up and apply it with a Q-tip because the
smell stays on
your hands. This won't hurt the dog if they lick it off.
Ginny Higdon
I must share a secret remedy I discovered with our first
Airedale, Snickers.
Have you ever heard of Duoderm? It's kept behind the
pharmacist's counter but
is nonprescription. It was invented for geriatric patients
with bed sores and
comes in various sizes. It look like a Dr. Scholl's
moleskin with soothing
medication and adhesive on one side. Cut a piece a little
larger than the
sore and add extra tape to secure it and when the hair grows
out and the
bandage falls off, the hot spot will be gone. Most vets
don't even know about
Duoderm. A friend of ours who has a geriatric practice at
Uof Michigan swears
by them. Diana White
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