Some advice about Della?

[morethanpretty]

She will not quit itching herself. The worse part is where she keeps biting the same part on her leg, its starting to lose hair and is red. She started this in September I think. I gave her kid's benedryl (which is what the vet recommended) but it didn't seem to help much. So, per the vet again, I switched to zyrtec but it seems to help even less. The vet said I would need to bring her in for a steroid shot if it continued, but because of my recent health/insurance misfortune its kinda a stretch for me to afford. I will if I have to, but does anyone else have any advice? Its mainly that 1 place she keeps biting, could it be a "hot spot" or is there an oil/lotion that might help?
Apparently she was biting it a lot last night, it looked pretty bad this morning . I'm gonna have to do something else soon.

[DanaC]

Try bathing it with a tea-tree solution. It is naturally antiseptic and if the irritation is mild but has become habituated over a few days, the smell might put her off biting for a little while.

Both Pilau and Dante periodically get these hotspots. Most of the time they go, eventually, but they can look really nasty for quite a while. Every so often it gets bad enough that we end up at the vets. Usually to be told we're doing the right thing in bathing it with either tea-tree or salt water, and are charged £15 for the privelege :P

The problem is that there have been one or two occasions when it hasn't been 'the usual'. One time Pilau turned out to have fox mange mite infestation, but that got progressively worse and the irritations seemed to be moving up the legs and into other parts of the body.

A couple of things to watch out for are the possibility that there is an infection, either as the original source of the irritation or as a result of the continued damage to the area from biting; and also the possibility that it is a referred pain response. Dante in particular seems to get these hotspots when he is in pain from his joints, and they get better as when his pain is under control.

Pilau on the other hand seems mainly to get hotspots during particular seasons and I've considered he may have some kind of sensitivity to some of the local flora.

Sorry if that worried you unduly. Most of the time these things pass along quietly and all the worry they've incurred proves to have been unnecessary :P

If you're going to bathe the area in tea tree, don;t over do it. Once or twice a day for a few days and see how it goes. Keep an eye on it, and be ready to stop bathing if it seems to get worse: some skin stuff needs to be bathed, some needs to be left to dry out. Difficult to know which sometimes.

If you can get a bandage to stay on it might help prevent a little of the biting. Again though, don't overdo it, just a few hours at a time to enforce a break.

[jinx]

Look into food allergies. This used to happen to Dennis, our vet said it's especially common in light fur/light eye animals. We cut chicken and beef out of his diet and it's under control now - used to have to get steroid and antibiotic shots about every 2 months when a spot would flare up. He'd scratch himself bloody, it was awful.

[BrianR]

I have these issues from time to time, with my pack of terrors.

What I do is clip the hair surrounding the area short (shaving not necessary) and clean the area. Try to figure out what is causing the hot spot. It could be a bug bite. If so, it will pass quickly. If it is an allergic reaction to whatever, apply a tea bag to the area for a little while. Soak it in hot water, then let it cool, please. The tannins in the tea will help. You can also try bathing the area in warm salt water several times a day. Sometimes I get better results with apple cider vinegar. Witch hazel (available at a pharmacy) will also help cool and dry the area. Stubborn hot spots can get relief from cortisone skin creams.

If these don't help after a few days, a vet will be necessary as it could also be a mite infestation or even mange. This should be treated by a vet.

You can ask a vet online for free here.

They helped me diagnose a flea allergy in my Golden Retriever some years ago.

I hope your little companion gets better soon!

Brian

[morethanpretty]

Hmm, thanks for the advice, a lot to look into.
I applied some tea tree oil for now, at least it will keep her from biting it, should i rinse it off every time or just apply it 2xs a day?

@Jinx, I had thought of the food allergy but since I feed her grain-free food I didn't think she could be allergic to the meat. I've been feeding her the same food since June and this is a more recent development. I'll re-examine her treats for sure.

@Brian, I'll keep that link and the salt mix in mind, I'm gonna try tea tree oil for now since I know the nasty taste will keep her from biting it.

I feel like a really bad owner for not having the money to take her to the vet. If it comes down to it I do, but I just need to get back on my feet.

[Griff]

My old vet was a large animal specialist so inexpensive solutions were primary. She had us washing Bessie in a Clorox and water solution which really cooled the hot spots. The crucial change was going to a lamb and rice based food.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by morethanpretty

Hmm, thanks for the advice, a lot to look into.
I applied some tea tree oil for now, at least it will keep her from biting it, should i rinse it off every time or just apply it 2xs a day?

Just leave it to dry, no need to rinse off. But be careful to read the label on the bottle if you are using tea-tree oil: some require dilution sme can be applied directly. Mostly with Piau I just dampen a bit of cotton wool and let few drops of the oil onto the wet wool then press it onto the area. Or, just put a few drops into a little water and then sluice the area with that.

I feel like a really bad owner for not having the money to take her to the vet. If it comes down to it I do, but I just need to get back on my feet.

This doesn't make you a bad owner it makes you an absolutely normal owner :P Not all your pet's health issues require a vet to deal with. You don't want to be scooting off to the vets every time Della has the doggy equivalent of a heat rash. Obviously, if you can't deal with it; if home remedies aren't helping, then the vet is a next step.

The times I have gone off to the vets with Pilau for stuff like this just to be told to go and do what we've already been doing. If you're struggling for cash it can be very frustrating to end up paying consultation fees for advice like that.

You've been to the vets already over this. You're currently exploring other home-remedies and dietary measures. If these don't work then go back to the vets.


[eta] the lamb and rice based food that griff mentions is also worth considering. Pilau and Dante are both on rice based kibble. Certain dog breeds have more sensitive digestive systems than others. Wheat is often a problem for dogs. As are the additives in some of the dog treats. Pilau tends to get a bad tum if he eats any of the Bonio or Winalot bisuits ranges. Pedigree Chum Gravy Bones however, he can eat til the cows come home and be fine with: they have the lowest amount of added vitamins and colourings etc.

[Gravdigr]

Sounds like a hot-spot. My best friend's dog had these off and on, I'll ask him what he used. Whatever it was, it worked great and he got it OTC at Wal-Mart.

[morethanpretty]

I think I'm gonna have to break down and take her to the vet. The tea tree oil keeps her from biting it, but the area's skin got all flaky so I think it dried out the skin too much. It should have gotten better by now, but I stopped putting the oil on and she went right back to biting it. The free vet basically just said to take her to the vet...so not all that helpful unfortunately. Poor baby.

Good thing is: it doesn't seem to have spread any. I would think it would've spread if it had been mites or mange. I could be wrong about that. Its not losing hair as long as she's not biting it and I've looked thoroughly for signs of the same issue all over, but its only that one area that is flaky.
I got some information about a low-cost clinic I might end up having to go to for my current sinus infection. Should only be $10 though.

[Sundae]

Good luck.

I remember how frantic I was about the flaky strip on Diz's belly.
Which became a scab because he worried it. Which seemed to take ages to heal.
He never seemed in real discomfort, so I put off going to the vet, and put it off and put it off...
And it did heal in the end with no recurrence.
I felt awful about it though - had I had the money I'd have been at the vet in the first week - which made me feel awfuller.

[Glinda]

Originally Posted by morethanpretty

I think I'm gonna have to break down and take her to the vet. The tea tree oil keeps her from biting it, but the area's skin got all flaky so I think it dried out the skin too much. It should have gotten better by now, but I stopped putting the oil on and she went right back to biting it. The free vet basically just said to take her to the vet...so not all that helpful unfortunately. Poor baby.

Good thing is: it doesn't seem to have spread any. I would think it would've spread if it had been mites or mange. I could be wrong about that. Its not losing hair as long as she's not biting it and I've looked thoroughly for signs of the same issue all over, but its only that one area that is flaky.
I got some information about a low-cost clinic I might end up having to go to for my current sinus infection. Should only be $10 though.

Maybe try a little Neosporin? That stuff is pretty amazing.

Also, if you find you need to apply some sort of bandage, here's an idea some friends came up to keep their cat from chewing apart the bandages (after the cat barely survived being driven down the road inside their truck engine!). Onesies!

[Sundae]

Awwwwwww!
Am tempted to put Diz in a babygro for the sheer cuteness!