Hot Spots

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reneemac

Forums Regular
My pup Lucky has been really healthy since we found each other, so I have been very blessed. This past weekend, I noticed some bleeding on his upper back, near his neck. I gave him a bath with water only and that seemed to relieve the bleeding. I dried the area by patting it dry. The next evening, there was more discoloring on his fur, so I tried washing it off again. He was so upset with me that he nipped at the water and then nipped at me when I tried to dry him off. I took him to the vet yesterday and he had an additional sore on his side, near his leg. The vet told me that he would need to shave his hair in that area to see what was going on, and Lucky got so upset that 3 technicians had to hold him down and they had to muzzle him. They asked me to come back to try and calm him down, but that didn't help too much. They ended up sedating him so they could finish shaving him and then gave him a shot and some medication. He has to wear the protective collar if he bothers the skin too much (so far, he hasn't messed with it at all). He also has pills to take for 2 weeks. He was so dopey last night that he laid down on his bed and slept all night. Today, he is acting normally and is just resting. I was not aware that this could happen to shelties and the vet said that long haired dogs like Lucky need to be kept in the house if the temperature gets hot, as the heat can make these hot spots worse. It's my first experience with this and thankfully, my pup seems to be feeling better today and is leaving the area alone to heal.
 
Hi reneemac, I am glad to hear it is nothing more serious than that and some meds will clear your baby right up. For him to have faught the dr, techs and you, he must have been in some pain until you were able to figure out the problem. Looks like he will just have to wear the collar of shame for a time being. Please keep us posted on his progress. :fl
 
Hot spots aren't actually "hot", they are caused by skin irritations that the dog bothers at. It's proper name is a lick granuloma. All breeds can get them, although by the time you notice it on a sheltie the fur is usually missing.

Did the vet tell you what caused the hot spot? Given it was in a couple of places it could be a bite or an allergy. It is worth knowing exactly what was causing it so you can prevent it in the future. I hope the vet gave you some cream to put on the spot to take away some of the itchiness - there'd be nothing worse than having an itch that can't be scratched. Btw - what are the meds you got?
 
The vet didn't tell us what could have caused it. He prescribed Simplicef, and Lucky has another week to take it. We put one of my daughter's tee-shirts on him, instead of the collar. The shirt fits him well and allows for the skin to breathe and it stops him from trying to scratch the skin. The sores are healing well. He told us not to put anything on the skin until he sees him again today.
 
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