And no, I'm not talking Wi-Fi here. Our poor Golden Retriever has always suffered from the occasional hot spot. Usually 2 per year, which usually results in an expensive trip to the vet. The vet administers a shot, and we have to give oral meds to him for usually 5 days. It ends up being at least $100 by the time it is all done.
If you are wondering, "Just what is a hot spot?" it is a skin irritation, where the dog licks the place until hair is inadvertently removed and a sore ensues. (By the way, horses also suffer from these.) The irritation usually turns red and becomes a painful sore to the dog, who further licks and makes the irritation only worse. A hot spot could be caused by a food allergy or an external allergy (such as weeds, grass, or fleas). If I knew what exactly was causing this, I'd certainly get rid of the cause if at all possible!
I was telling my neighbor about it last fall, after we had just gotten over one hot spot. She gave me a great tip! Gold Bond Medicated Powder (in the yellow bottle) is an effective treatment for hot spots. It also keeps it dry, which helps speed healing. Well, I just discovered a new hot spot on our Golden this morning, and have been treating it through the day with Gold Bond powder. His panting has subsided somewhat (which is a sign of fever, another symptom that told me a couple of days ago that a hot spot was about to appear, along with the persistent licking). We will see over the next few days if this is all that we will need. So far, I've not noticed any increased redness, and it seems he is not licking there so much (I guess he is not finding an appetite for the menthol in the powder). It sure is cheaper than a $100 vet bill. We've already spent our fair share there this year, with the neutering of our new kitty (to prevent spraying), and since our Golden had to be neutered at 12 years old because he had cancer earlier this summer.
I'll explain how that Gold Bond Powder was an even sweeter deal later.
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