Fur/skin problems

[Tobemeghan]

I have a senior dog (he is actually a few years past the "projected life span" for his breed) that has terrible fur and gets frequent hotspots. I know that parasites can cause fur damage but he is up to date on his dewormers. He gets large hot spots that appear within hours. I have a special spray that I was told to put on them and it heals them up immediately but the fur never grows back so he has large bald spots. He also cannot wear any type of collar or harness as the fur falls out, and doesn't come back, where they rub (even though I got a super soft and fuzzy ones). Any ideas? The poor guy isn't going to have any fur left.

Thanks!

[critters]

My monsters usually go bald from allergies, but the hair always comes back eventually. Has he had a skin scraping done?

[itasara]

Just went thru this. My 13 yr old lab developed a spot next to her right eye. I didn't know what it was. It started small with a small cut, it looked like. I put antibiotic cream on it. The cut disappeared but the area got bigger and leathery with no hair. It was like one of those spots where the dog lays on a part on the floor. (It is kind of typical of Labrador retrievers.) My vet took a couple cells but nothing came up. We put her on an antibiotic anyway for a couple weeks but when she was not eating well we stopped it. The spot was about the same, not getting worse, but still there. After that, It was a friend who said he knew someone whose dog had a "hot spot" in the same area (I had never heard of a hot spot before) and they treated it by feeding the dog a spice called turmeric (which I add to her food( and also spreading a bit of it (making a paste with water) on the area itself(use gloves, it stains.) In a short time most of the hair had begun to grow in-and it didn't take long. I can still see a couple spots but nothing like it was before. Coincidence? I couldn't tell you, but nothing seemed to work before. You can get info by looking up turmeric use for hot spots in dogs or some related search info.

[michaeljohhsen]

Hot spots, rashes, bug bites and dry skin are all common skin problems that plague many dogs. Treat them successfully with natural and safe home remedies. While medicines like allergy shots and steroids are often used to treat skin conditions, they can have negative side effects on your dog's health. Avoid this and heal your dog's skin by treating him with these home remedies.
Skin problems are sometimes due to food intolerance or food allergies. When a dog is allergic or intolerant to a certain type of food he may be unable to digest his food correctly. Digestion problems like this can cause vitamin deficiency and malnutrition that can lead to unhealthy skin. Allergic reactions to food can also cause rashes and other skin reactions. Allergies to meat proteins, dairy proteins, eggs, gluten and lactose are some of the most common food allergies. If your dog has food intolerances or allergies, feed him food labeled "hypoallergenic" or food specifically designed for dogs with sensitive skin.

[itasara]

Thanks for the information. Right now I'm hooked on the tumeric! Here hot spot area is grown in with hair now. As I have written elsewhere she is close to the end of her life so I just treat each issue as it comes along within reason. I use cranberry powder to hopefully avert a urinary tract infection. She has one last summer and was fine until this summer and had another one.
But so far so good. She cannot walk on her own so these problems are always a possibility.