Over the last few months I have seen an increase in skin issues not only in dogs but also cats.
Skin symptoms are usually caused by an under-lying issue that has been building for a long time. In some cases it can be due to diet, allergies such as fleas or environmental issues.
Over the Christmas period I had quite a few clients seek homeopathic support for hot spots in their dogs.
This skin condition tends to raise its ugly head in the warmer months. Usually it is in response to some kind of allergy, for example fleas or pollen.
Hot spots are very easy to identify in your dog. The dog will furiously itch certain spots. The itching is so intense that the area becomes red, inflamed and bald. Over time weeping sores begin to erupt. In some cases these sores become infected.
When these areas become infected the sores emit yellow/green pus and quite often it is quite smelly. It is also not uncommon for hot spots to spread to different parts of the body.
It is such an unpleasant experience for the dog and I imagine it would be quite painful for them. Even though the area may be sore and painful they will continue to itch the area.
It is generally a good idea to clip the fur around the area as the fur tends to get matted and it can be hard to keep clean. After clipping the area it is best to clean the wound. I suggest using a diluted mix of hypericum and calendula tincture called Hypercal. It is very gentle on the dog and it doesn’t sting, it can also help ward off any infection.
There are many homeopathic remedies that are very useful for hot spots in dogs. In the cases that I saw over the Christmas period, although the dog's had the same diagnosis, they were each prescribed a different remedy.
In each case the dog's hot spots were at different stages. In one instance the hot spots were infected. In another instance the hot spots were just itchy. Their behaviour was also different. One dog was grumpy and was withdrawing from being around people, the other was quite unfazed about the whole thing but the itching was driving everyone in the household nuts!
As always with homeopathy we look at every aspect of the animal. This is imperative as I want to get the right remedy for that particular animal.
In just a few days after being given their respective remedy the change in the dog's and the hot spots were noticeable.
I am happy to say that all of the dogs are now hot spot free!
