HOT SPOTS ON YOUR DOGS: A hot spot is a warm, painful, swollen patch of skin 1 to 4 inches (2.5 to 10 cm) across that excuses pus and gives off a foul odor. Hair in the area is lost rapidly...The infection progresses when the dog licks and chews the site...These circular patches appear suddenly and enlarge quickly, often within a matter of hours. Hot spots can occur anywhere on the body, often in more than one spot...One common are is under the ear flaps in large breeds with heavy, hairy was, such as Golden Retrievers. Hot spots often show up on breeds with heavy coats, and typically like to show up just before shedding, when moist, dead hair is trapped next to skin. Things like fleas, mites and other skin parasites, skin allergies, irritant skin diseases, ear and anal gland infections, and neglected grooming are other factors that can initiate the cycle of itching and scratching that leads to hot spots. If you live in hot, humid climates make sure to dry your heavy~coated dog well after bathing or things like swimming...If not, this makes for a perfect atmosphere for hot spots to occur/develop. The first line of defense, is to shave or cut away the hair around the hotspot...If the hair is embedded with gunky stuff, it is not a good thing. BEST PROTOCOL: Gently clean the area with On Guard Foaming hand soap, rinse then dry thoroughly.. Dip a black tea bag in warm water for several seconds, squeeze out the water so it is not dripping...Add 2~3 drops of Lavender Oil to one side of the tea bag and place the lavender side down on TOP of the hotspot (You may need several tea bags, depending on the size of the hotspot) and hold it there for 10 minuted...The tannin in the tea bag helps to dry out the hotspot and the lavender handles the infection...Do this 3~4 times per day until hotspot is gone. It is important to groom coated breeds regularly, thus looking for and treating hotspots immediately...If not, this could lead to secondary infections like yeast overgrowth...Hotspots are awful for dogs to have to tolerate. These statements have not been evaluated with the FDA. WARNING: Many essential oils on the market contain synthetics which should not be used. Only Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils should be used for safe and reliable results.
Posted on: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:19:59 +0000
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