Hot Spots?

I usually like to tell a bit about any veterinary problems that Suki has so that others can learn from them. Did you know that dogs can have "hot spots?" The assistant for another vet in Nahariya gave Suki a pat in the beauty shop and I told her about Suki's irritated area under her chin that I have been trying to treat with antibiotic cream for a week. I was, I explained, not happy that it was still there and was going back today to have it looked at again.

When we arrived Avi called us in and Suki balked a bit at the door. No doubt she's caught on that this place means things like getting a shot. I explained that a week had gone by and Suki's sore was still not better despite my repeated applications of antibiotic cream that Noam had recommended. Noam, the assistant, picked up a surprised Suki and lifted her onto the examining table. Avi was not totally pleased with Noam's recommendation of the previous week and decided to change the treatment to a cortizone cream and, to Suki's dismay, a shot. There was no way Suki could wear an Elizabethan collar to prevent her from stratching the spot since it would prevent her from working, so this would have to suffice. Suki was then lifted down from the table and made a beeline for the door. She has stopped scratching the area and hopefully it will now heal.

"Hot spots" are, in this case, not a lively Tel Aviv nightclub but a painful sore that occurs when the dog has been irritated by a flea bite or insect bite and they scratch the area until it gets aggravated, red, and sore. The area feels warm to the touch, and that's why it's called a hot spot. And of course, wouldn't you know that our golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers are especially susceptןble.