Otis, who is 6 months old now very often has itchy skin. Not so itchy that it's interfering with anything that I can notice, but I do catch him gnawing on his legs occasionally. He also goes to daycare once or twice a week and so he plays in dirt... a lot. We started bathing him weekly recently with a very gentle shampoo for sensitive/dry skin and it seemed to be helping. I know weekly sounds like a lot but he really gets so dirty at daycare that I didn't know what else to do. Anyway, we've been slacking and went two weeks without bathing him. Well wouldn't ya know that after I bathed him tonight I noticed a big, raw looking hairless patch of skin on his back leg, fairly close to his paw. I did notice him gnawing on his leg a bit last night/this morning. It doesn't look infected or anything but does look raw. Does this sound like a hot spot? I really have no idea or experience with this and would appreciate any advice. Does this sort of thing warrant a vet visit?
Hello there Sorry to hear about this. Yes, this kind of thing definitely calls for a vet visit. If Otis is so uncomfortable that he is licking until parts of him are raw, then you need to try find something to ease things for him, and to try to get to the bottom of what is causing this. In terms of the immediate raw patch, for sure get a vet to tell you what to do to heal it up. In the meantime, keeping it clean and stop him licking it further would be the thing. Best of luck with it.
Poor boy, itchiness is awful. As Julie says, stopping him licking that spot is important, and so is getting some treatment from the vet to break the itchiness cycle. My dog is an itchy dog and we use a regime of antihistamines (which don't work for all dogs) and steroids (prednil tablets) when he's really itchy. Working out what seems to trigger the worst itchiness can be useful - in Obi's case it's a high pollen count in the spring and summer combined with swimming in lake water (tap water is ok). It can be caused by a wide range of things but is usually an allergic reaction of some kind, in my understanding. Steroids can be really effective and can bring great relief. At low doses they are quite safe (but need to be given under vet guidance of course). Not sure where you live but other medications may also be available that your get can suggest.
Poor Otis,I hope you can get to the bottom of it with some investigation from the vet. Best Wishes Angela
