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Post by orpheous87 on Sept 20, 2016 22:34:00 GMT
Cody is absolutely covered in scabby areas from what I can only assume have been hotspots. It started with one fairly big one in between his shoulders which we applied bee propolis cream to and clipped the hair away. The cream really seemed to help quite quickly and it looked like it was clearing up. But since then, it seemed to look worse again - not helped by itching and scratching. I've found at least 3 other scabby bits tonight when he's been laid next to me. I'm going to try and get them all in at the vets for weight checks tomorrow so I'll ask the vet to check him over but does anyone have any helpful tips to help manage this type of problem? Pepper has had one hotspot which she kept nibbling at, however, she's got a cone of shame to keep her off it which seems to be working. She doesn't seem to be itching as much. However. I did give her a Comfortis flea tablet this week so I'm not sure if this has made the difference? I will admit I haven't done the flea dirt test, which I should really try. Unfortunately, there weren't enough tablets to give Cody one (seeing as they were Pepper & Ellie's in the first place) so I will mention this to the vet tomorrow too. Just in case. Both Pepper & Cody were bathed with ekoneem shampoo at the weekend, so again, this could have helped as it is meant to soothe itchy skin. I am slightly frustrated that I've noticed these scabby bits on Cody as, of course, he is my brother's dog. Yet he never seems to notice these things. It's always me  |
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Post by lotsofcats on Sept 21, 2016 8:45:40 GMT
Poor Cody. Once dogs get these hot spots and start scratching it all escalates. Kobi has had them and I always dab Johnson's pet ointment on them and it usually does the trick. However, a trip to the vets does seem to be needed in Cody's case as he has so many of them now. He probably needs an injection to stop the scratching. Not surprised that you are frustrated that your brother doesn't notice anything on his dog.
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Post by caz2golden on Sept 21, 2016 19:42:43 GMT
Good luck sorting Cody out orpheous87. Will you brother be with you when you take him to the vets? This is the first year I have had a dog with hot spot! Phoebe got one on her tail. It all cleared up till a few days ago and now back at square one  Vet advised me to wash in hibiscrub so thats what I am doing this time! Therefore what I took away is to keep the area clean. She has stopped biting it but will take a little longer to heal fully i.e for scabs to go and it not to be pinkish anymore. I worry being on tail that it could become problematic! Therefore if you do find something that works I will be interested to. In my case putting it down to the allergy issues as the reason behind the problem. My understanding is list for underlying causes for hotspots is long and varied!! Can be caused by biting bugs such as mosquitoes, fleas, mites etc or allergies be it environmental or food. Have you been walking him anywhere different or has he had change in food? |
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Post by orpheous87 on Sept 21, 2016 20:29:34 GMT
Don't be silly caz2golden. To be fair though, if I take them to the vet on an afternoon, it has to be on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday and my brother is usually at work on those days. But they're the only days that the branch is open on an afternoon. They open on a morning on a Tuesday and Thursday. Well. The reason behind the "hotspots" is actually fleas! I (wrongly) assumed that it couldn't be fleas because I haven't had any bites and normally I get bitten to pieces. So, the vet gave him a quick check and did a flea check and pulled a live flea off him (oops!) so we've been given some Indorex spray for the house and Cody got a Bravecto tablet. I had the choice between spot on or tablet and given that he still has a sore, scabby bit where we'd normally put a spot on, I opted for Bravecto (despite my reservations on it). I did mention my reservations to the vet and the bad reports I've seen about it (although I couldn't recall exactly what people had said) and the vet said that they use it quite a lot and it's very effective but that they haven't had any bad reactions to it. So I decided to go for that and see what happens. I also currently feel very guilty as when loading the dogs into the car, I have to lift Ellie in first because she goes in a crate that she won't actually go into if the others are in the car first. I told Cody to wait, but he was his usual contrary self and attempted to jump into the boot. Unfortunately, I pulled back on the lead to try and stop the jump and did it at the wrong time so I ended up pulling him back away from the boot and he hit the floor quite hard and is now limping again >.< Quite badly too. So he's not only been checked for fleas, he's had his leg prodded and poked and pulled and pushed and is back on Loxicom (I think we need shares)! Luckily he hasn't broken or snapped anything so hopefully it's just a case of resting him as best we can. He's looking very pitiful and I'm feeling very guilty indeed. |
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Post by caz2golden on Sept 21, 2016 21:24:52 GMT
Poor Cody, hope your brothers reimbursed you for vets fees!
Sorry to hear its fleas, nasty blighters!
I also have reservations over Bravecto, heard too many reports now of dogs having reactions such as seizures or even dying from having it put on!
However faced with situation you were in I probably would have done the same. Spot on does not sound suitable in Codys current case.
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Post by orpheous87 on Sept 21, 2016 21:45:26 GMT
Thankfully I didn't have to pay today! We were only supposed to be there for weight checks, which are free, so I hadn't taken my purse or anything with me!
I am annoyed at the fact it's them, but also sort of relieved because they should be easily sorted out.
I think thats what I said to the vet, that I'd heard of dogs having seizures etc., but she was surprised by that news. She said they'd not heard of anything like that.
I would have opted for Comfortis but they don't stock that at the branch we were in. So far there haven't been any signs of it disagreeing with him. Although to be honest, he hasn't moved much all night. He seems to have put himself on bed rest, only moving when he absolutely has to, which probably won't be a bad thing. The good thing is the vet was fairly confident that he's just badly bruised his leg when he landed as he has a good range of motion in it and he can weight bear on it, he's just choosing not to at the moment.
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Post by tonib on Sept 21, 2016 22:38:21 GMT
Sorry to hear about Cody, orpheous87, but easily sorted by the sound of it - as to shares in Loxicom I'll join you in that  Cody's probably taken to his bed to make the point that he's feeling very sorry for himself & that he wants to make you feel awful about having him at the vets, giving him fleas, hurting his leg & anything else he can think of to blame you for!! |
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Post by lotsofcats on Sept 22, 2016 9:35:49 GMT
Yes, I think Cody is playing the sympathy card to make you feel bad. I hope he's feeling better today.
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Post by orpheous87 on Sept 22, 2016 20:55:32 GMT
Haha, thanks tonib!  I think you're probably right to be fair! He's still limping about today, although he has started putting his foot down a little bit when he's just standing. He is lying on it so it can't be painful when he does that. He doesn't mind us touching it either, which is good. He's coping quite well with being on 3 legs and is quite good at running around (although we're not really encouraging it). |
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Vet advised me to wash in hibiscrub so thats what I am doing this time! Therefore what I took away is to keep the area clean. She has stopped biting it but will take a little longer to heal fully i.e for scabs to go and it not to be pinkish anymore. I worry being on tail that it could become problematic! Therefore if you do find something that works I will be interested to. 
I think you're probably right to be fair! 
