Hot Spots

Hi my 8 year old GSD keeps getting hot spots, is there anything else i can give him,dont like him getting antibiotics all the time.What causes hot spots?We lost our other GSD last year and since then rogan seems to have had lots of skin problems which he never had before,could it be stress?thanks for any advice

Hi
my last GSD used to get these. With her, they were caused by allergies. She was sensitive to cat fleas, certain pollens and food colourings. So we put her on Burns (no additives), plus monthly Strongold and she had an anti-histamine injection in summer.
If you can find out what your dog is reacting to, you can help him? If it`s not seasonal, it`s possibly a food allergy.
This condition can be linked to ear problems, which is why I used Stronghold (it kills mites).
What is your dog eating?
eta - stress can make it worse, yes.

Thanks for the advice ,he is on jwb and it does seem to be seasonal,When we lost our other GSD he was really down for months and thats when it started,it cleared up over the winter but its came back

My GSD had these too, on the front of his forelegs. It improved with oatmeal shampoo which you leave on for a while but always returned. Raw feeding stopped it, never came back.

Interesting - our dogs only started when we fed raw - theyre all different!

Rosie took took them on her back & sides. Horrible nasty things.

There are lots of environmental allergens which are NOT seasonal, eg dust mites.

If it IS seasonal then it suggests it is linked to pollens which you cannot do much about.

However the following may help:

Give Fish Body Oil capsules (these are natural anti inflammatories) get them with a high DHA and EPA content.

Vitamin E (prefereably natural rather than synthetic) should be given with the above if they do not contain them.

Vitamin C

You may also find giving prebiotics can help.

Biotin (member of the B group) can also be very useful.

The cause of hot spots are legion, parasites, allergies, yeast overgrowth etc.

HTH

Thanks smokeybear will give them a try

adding Dorwest easy green to the food can help, as it cools the skin. I've found it very helpful for Rio. I also use Homeopets skin and itch relief. If a hotspot is found, I trim away the fur, wash with salt water and add eczemarid ointment. She stops chewing and it's gone by the next day. Regular bathing in the summer seems to help too, but the dog shouldn't be left wet. A blow dry will help prevent more sores.

Thanks Loki,s mum ,going to kelso show at the weekend,hoping dorwest will be there as i have had stuff from them in the past for something else