Guest taylorsmom Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Hello everyone-- I have never had a dog get a hot spot before and was wondering if anyone has experience with this and can help me out!! I have never seen a post on here about a greyhound with hot spots, so maybe it is just a Lab or other breed kind of thing, I think it is kind of common in labs. Anyway, my girl Lucy developed one on the top of her head, of all places. At first I thought she had scraped it really badly under a table or something, but when I took her to the vet she said it was a hot spot. Lucy is my little itchy allergic girl, we have been treating her allergies naturally and she has been doing much better. Anyway, this thing is nasty! The vet shaved the hair all over it and around it, and ever since then it has been getting bigger, scabbier and tonight it has green pus coming out of it. She gave me some homeopathic drops to give Lucy, and I have been cleaning it with witch hazel and putting aloe gel and calendula on it (both herbal remedies to promote healing of skin irritations). I was just wondering if it is normal for it to get worse before it gets better, or if I should put another call in to the vet when the office is open. Of course it is Saturday night here, and so it won't be open until Monday!! I don't think it warrants an e-vet visit, she is eating and drinking normally with normal activity levels. It just looks really really ugly and nasty. It now has black scabs on it mixed in with the greenish pus--sorry for the gross out!! I also just put some Granulex on it, which I had left over from Rita's happy tail healing. Any words of advice would be greatly welcomed. As you can probably tell, I like to try to treat things as naturally as possible but I certainly would use an antibiotic if I have to! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kickchick2000 Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Hot spots are not common in greyhounds but I have an english bulldog and they are notorious for getting them. Honestly what you are describing sounds just like what we have had. They are nasty and yes they get worse before they get better, they also take a long time to heal over. The only thing that worries me is the green pus, Sweet Pea's usually ooze a clearish fluid occasionally we've had one ooze a slight yellowish fluid. One cheap way to treat a hot spot is with listerine or sulfadene(can be bought at target/ walmart for like $3.99 in the pet section). If she is still drinking and eating I'd probably not rush her to the e-vet but I'd make an appointment for Monday, however if she stops eating and driking then I'd take her. Hot spots can appear to be infected but not actually be. They are just are yucky boogers, keep it clean and try not to squezze the area to get the stuff out let it drain naturally. Quote Alicia and Foster Yoshi ( pit bull) Always in my heart: WV's Milky Way 6/25/2000- 4/22/2013, Hank ( St Bernard/Boxer) ???? - 10/3/2017 and Sweet Pea (English bulldog) 2004 - 6/19/2019 www.etsy.com/your/shops/MuttStuffnc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest taylorsmom Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Honestly what you are describing sounds just like what we have had. They are nasty and yes they get worse before they get better, they also take a long time to heal over. The only thing that worries me is the green pus, Sweet Pea's usually ooze a clearish fluid occasionally we've had one ooze a slight yellowish fluid. ..... Hot spots can appear to be infected but not actually be. They are just are yucky boogers, keep it clean and try not to squezze the area to get the stuff out let it drain naturally. Alicia--thank you so much for your response. It is helpful to know they can get worse before getting better. It seems so odd that it continues to enlarge also, has that happened to Sweet Pea's hot spots? (I love that name for a bulldog by the way!!) Can I ask what you cleaned them with? I was wondering if the witch hazel is okay or if I should go to something stronger. I will definitely not squeeze it--if it would make it better I would do anything for my dog, but the thought of it makes me nauseous!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FullMetalFrank Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 A friend of mine had a golden retriever that got them, bad. I think he used gentamycin spray from the vet. I hope your doggy feels better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figma Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I've had a couple of dogs that had hot spot problems at the bases of their tails (seasonally). On a fluke one day, I tried using a diluted solution of Betadine. I'd put some on a cotton ball, half squeeze the liquid out, part the hair and dab it on to the skin. Always cleared the spots up. However, I will admit that they never had pus in the areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest erinder Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Digby got a hot spot on his hip just over a year ago. And YES, the nasty little thing got worse before it got better. it started as a small little mark, then a couple days later it was suddenly the size of a quarter and all gooey. I cut the hair around it and tried to keep it clean but ended up taking him to the vet after a couple days because it wasn't getting any better (loonie-sized by this time, (for the canadians!)). Vet gave me a good soap (some kind of pink stuff they use in hospitals) and told me to wash it throughly 2-3 times a day. It did get better with this thorough washing, but probably took a couple weeks before it was really drying out. My advice is if there is green pus is to take him to get some antibiotics. Green or yellow pus usually indicates infection. Good luck - I know it's frustrating!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rickiesmom Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 My long-coated shepherd used to get these sometimes - she licked them which only made things worse, so we had to get that under control, fortunately she was very averse to bitter apple - perhaps licking is part of why these are getting larger. The treatment ideas above are similar to what we did - clipped to open the area to the air, and treated with a medicated spray to help dry them out and avoid infection. Agree with others - if you have green pus, worth a trip to the vet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LynnM Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 My vet mixes up a brew of Gentamycin, Liquichlor and Bitter Apple (there might be one other thing in it, but I can't remember) that works very well.... every vet has their own favorite recipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest taylorsmom Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Thanks so much for the advice, everyone. Lucy's hot spot is SOOOOO much better. Over the weekend it continued to ooze, so I got out the Granulex spray that I had from Rita's slow-to-heal happy tail, and it worked like a charm!! The green pus went away in a day and it scabbed over so now she has one giant round black spot on the top of her head! Fortunately, she cannot lick it, but I think she must have scratched at it and that is why it was growing. Once the pus left I think it got less itchy. I highly recommend the Granulex--I heard about it from another greyhound board when I was struggling with the happy tail this past winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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