Terrier Hot Spots?

July 2, 2012 6:31 AM

My Dog has lots of skin irritation. Could it be an after effect of stripping an abnormally long top coat?

We have a four year old Welsh Terrier. He's in great shape, has not had his diet changed (He does the raw food thing) or anything else in his routine. We normally have him stripped about every three months but for a variety of reason that slipped by about two months because of some things his groomer had going on (all of which were unplanned and independently confirmed to be legit and not flaky). Since he was groomed two weeks ago he's developed a ton of scabs under his coat on his neck (Which was most overgrown) and he opened up a quarter sized abrasion next to his ear last week (ten days or so post-grooming). We've also had a heat wave here in NYC and he generally hates the heat.

So my questions
1) Is it plausible that this irritation was caused by an abnormally long topcoat being stripped, and then the heat sort of doubling down on the irritation?
2) What should I be doing to treat the wound on his head - I've been irrigating it with water, using gauze to dry it, cleaning it with H2O2, and then applying antibiotic ointment. He can't lick it but he can scratch it so my wife is picking up a cone for him today
3) What can I do to ease his general skin discomfort? What should I do going forward post stripping to prevent this from reoccurring?

posted by JPD to Pets & Animals (6 answers total)

We have one dog with seasonal allergies, and this year has been the worst ever. She gets the same pattern of injuries, plus sad swollen goopy eyes. We use Neosporin on the wounds, give her antihistamines + fish oil twice a day, and when we can see her skin getting red and blotchy we'll rub it with jojoba oil (it soaks in fairly well, but it's still going to leave oil on the fur, so if you have especially nice upholstery you might want to cover it with a blanket) and that seems to give some relief.

You may have to assess your pollen counts and consult your vet to determine whether it's allergies that you should be treating with antihistamines. It's possible he's been itchy but his undercoat was providing a layer of protection. I'd certainly be concerned that the stripping was too rough or he was exposed to mange or some other contagious skin disease (for which you should probably get him to the vet for tests). You might should go to the vet no matter what, just for an opinion on what's happened and to get it documented for future reference in case it is something cyclical or related to the grooming.
posted by Lyn Never at 6:47 AM on July 2, 2012

Is he outside often enough that it could be from too much sun? With less top coat, his skin might be getting more exposure than it was or it might be a combination of allergies, heat, and sun.

I had a Samoyed growing up and she would be fine for a little while in the hot Minnesota summers since her fur trapped the cool air from outside. I read something that said that some people trimmed off most of their Samoyed's fur to help keep them cool in the summer heat but that they were actually cooler with the fur and that their skin is very sensitive without their top coat to cover it.
posted by VTX at 6:53 AM on July 2, 2012

Dogs have the same allergies and skin sensitivities as we do. Something they get that we don't get is a skin irritation to too much sodium.

Have you taken him to the vet?

I had an experience with heat rash with a dog too. Try a homemade bath made by boiling fresh mint in water. Let it cool and bathe the dog with it. Don't blow dry the dog after the mint water bath. There is tar soap for dogs too that helps. I gave the dog baby benadryl and it worked.
posted by Yellow at 7:02 AM on July 2, 2012

We recently moved from the Northeast to Texas and my 12 year old Boston Terrier has developed very itchy skin and his first hot spots. I highly recommend taking to the vet so they can clean and check the scabs. Our vet gave us a special shampoo and lotion to use twice a week, and gave us the cone as it was someplace he could lick. She also recommended fish oil. It is very hot here, and while he is still itchy, it is not nearly as bad.
posted by hrj at 7:50 AM on July 2, 2012

I recently discovered that tons of people, myself included, develop an allergic reaction to neosporin/bacitracin (the latter is an ingredient of the former) later in life. I don't know whether dogs can be allergic, but I mention the human allergy response so that you consider whether his skin has been getting worse since you started applying the neosporin. i.e., Does the skin weep, become raised, and look like a poison ivy reaction? Might be worth a call to the vet.

I'll also second the need for sunscreen if you can see his skin through his shorter stripped fur.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 9:22 AM on July 2, 2012

Did the groomer bathe him? It's possible there is shampoo left on his skin and/or he is reacting to the shampoo used. It could also be a flea allergy or seasonal allergy. Unlikely to be the strip assuming the groomer knows what she is doing. I would plan a vet visit.
posted by biscotti at 9:28 AM on July 2, 2012