[Dailydrool] Hot spots

[Elizabeth Lindsey]

I had the same experience with our late Jane Basset and allergies as Jennifer’s had her with hound. Jane was just miserable and wound up with chronic ear infections because, well, when it itches, a hound’s going to scratch it. But scratching introduces bacteria into all the tiny open wounds the toenails and/or tongue are creating when they have hard contact with the skin. Eventually our Jane wound up having to have the insides of one of her ears completely removed because the infection was so bad. She also developed an under-active thyroid because of the chronic infections, so she had to be on thyroid medication for the rest of her life.

We started Jane on allergy shots for environmental allergens (she tested negative for food allergies), put her on four Tavist-1 pills a day, 2 fatty acid supplements a day (to make her skin less dry), and, when her system still overloaded from seasonal allergies (usually in the fall), a couple days of prednisone to calm her down. Prednisone stays in the system for some time after the last pill has been taken, so only a couple were necessary each fall. We also gave her oatmeal baths, which helped. 

Our Elsinore and young Charlie both have trouble with allergies in the fall. I’m currently giving Elsinore four Benedryl a day and some prescription ointment in her eyes to keep them from being red and inflamed. Charlie’s getting one generic Zyrtec (per his vet’s instructions) a day. He’s usually my hound who’s most prone to allergies, and the Zyrtec has been more effective for him than Benedryl. It may be that he’s been on Benedryl so much that it’s no longer effective for him anymore, too. 

While allergy testing is a hassle and expense, allergy shots really can help a dog. After starting them and tinkering with the dosage to get it adjusted to her body chemistry, our Jane’s ear infections stopped. After a couple of years on the allergy shots, she no longer even had to take the prednisone for a few days in the fall. 

I hope you’re able to find relief for Boomer. It’s no fun being itchy all the time and having to scratch instead of doing things that are more fun and rewarding.

Elizabeth


> If you have open, weeping hot spots, you probably just need to break down
> and let the vet prescribe prednisone. Ask the vet about antihistamines, a
> good topical spray and shampoo. You can get a secondary infection in the
> hot spot amazingly fast. Beauford used to get them all the time. I had him
> allergy tested. He now gets desensitization shots. He takes benadryl. I
> bathe him every 7-14 days. I use genesis spray if he starts scratching, and
> if that doesn't do the trick, he gets a little prednisone. Last year he
> took a total of 4 pills. So far this year he hasn't needed any, but fall is
> his worst season. Feel free to email me back with any questions.
> Jennifer with Beauford, Bugsey,  and Brown the Fairy Princess