hot spots

Question
Hi there

My 7 month old bichon has developed hot spots on the top of her head, under and above her eye and below both ears. They are no where else apart from her head. She has been given a course of antibiotics by the vet, had the hair clipped from the areas and we bathe these sores with the solution given by the vet everyday. The problem is, She has been on antibiotics for 6 days now and although the old sores are getting better new ones are appearing and we don't know what the cause is. She is given a good diet, we use an oatmeal shampoo, she is groomed every day and has been treated for fleas and other pests. We were wondering if she had an allergy to her food but the vet thought that the hot spots would not have been concentrated on her head and would have been all over. Is there anything you can recommend we can do to help her condition?

Answer
Hello Helen
I would agree with the vet, these have most likely been caused by flea bite allergy which during these hot times is more common than you would think. Even any insect bite will have a causative effect.

I would change your dog onto a raw food diet , these if done correctly offer the dog a far better nutritional base than any commercially produced food .If you look on www.eurobichons.com  there are many articles to assist with  raw food diet from day one to completion including calories, protein analysis, carb analysis and fibre analysis all of which are an essential part of the modern dogs diet. I would also use Fibre diet tablets from Holland and Barratt once per week as these cleanse the colon and draw out the impurities the dog has been eating for a while now.They will also assist the dog in the anal gland department.

As for bathing I would contact www.bichonhotel.co.uk who have an excellent range of natural shampoos specifically for hot spots, mites and allergies, unlike other commercial shampoos they are 100% safe, natural and pure.They do not contain unnatural blueing agents which are the norm in many shampoos made for Bichons.Personally I would stay well away from any commercially produced product that was made to make your dog smell like a flower. The use of 100% natural fragrances and shampoos and conditioners is the way forward for all dogs.

Good luck