Second hot spot

Health topics and issues with Chow Chows.

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Koko the chow
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Second hot spot

Post by Koko the chow »

Hi I’m new to the page, I have a 7 month old male cream chow chow and he’s now got his second hotspot just above his right back leg, his first hotpot was underneath his neck which I took him to the vets and was put on antibiotics and steroids and a high vet bill. He is well looked after and I can’t understand why it’s happened again only 1 month and 2 weeks later he’s got another one, he eats dry AVA food, groomed regularly, flees and worming all up to date, and excercised enough, I need a home solution as I can’t keep going to vets each time he gets one,
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MorganOfTheFey
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Re: Second hot spot

Post by MorganOfTheFey »

First, you may want to review your chow's diet since hotspots can be caused by food allergies. Some of the common food allergies I've seen listed on here are grains (wheat, corn, soy), chicken, beef, and sometimes dairy. Grain free dog foods with lamb, duck, or fish (make sure it's a named fish, like salmon, not just "fish" that could be anything) seem to be the best for chows, and several posters have said that their chow's hotpots went away after switching their dog food. You can do a search through the forum for "hot spot" or take a look down at the Food/Nutrition board for what brands people on here prefer.

As for the hotspot itself, you can get a bottle of medicated oatmeal shampoo *for dogs* (the pH balance in shampoo for humans will hurt dogs) on Amazon for around $10-15. Wash the hotspot area with warm water and a wet washcloth that has a small dollop of shampoo worked into it. Don't rub over the hotspot; dab at it with the washcloth.

I've also seen people on here recommend rubbing a little bit of Vick's Vaporub over the hotspot both because it's soothing and the taste may prevent the dog from biting at it and Goldbond medicated powder. If you think the hotspot could be related to seasonal allergies, I've also seen an endorsement for Zyrtec (not Zyrtec D), but that's definitely something I'd talk to a vet about first.

And again, if you search "hotspot" on the forum, you'll find lots of posts with everyone's personal home remedy.
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