Last night's bath with Malaseb did absolutely nothing for Bella's hot spots. She smelled better afterward, and she shivered half the night, but that's about it. This morning she was right back to scratching and whining. I bought a new container of coconut oil this morning in hopes that The Whole Dog Journal was right and that a daily spoonful of the stuff would cure what I suspect has become a system-wide Candida infection. Assuming that I can remember to do so, I'm going to give her a scoop of the oil before we go to bed and see how she tolerates it.Even if Bella loves the taste, there won't be any immediate relief because the the coconut oil won't stop the itch on its own. It will only kill off the Candida cells. According to The Whole Dog Journal, the death of the Candida causes the hot spots to get worse before they get better. So far nothing in the Hydrocortisone Graveyard--the doggy equivalent of the Shampoo Graveyard under the sink--has calmed Bella's itching on a long term basis. In fact, most of the sprays, ointments, and wipes have caused her additional pain, as she has skin that is more sensitive than my own, if that's possible. I can't even use scented shampoos when I bathe her (the shampoos have to be fragrance free or oatmeal only) or scented fabric softener on the bed linens. If I do, she'll break out in whelps.
The lack of relief only means one thing--back to the hot spot drawing board. I swear that I have bought every product promising to relieve a dog's itching that Petsmart, Target, and Walmart carry, as well as every product that a few online stores carry as well. I haven't tried all of the products on one site, however: Earthmutt.com. Earthmutt.com is a discount pet supplies store that sells a variety of pet products for dogs, cats, birds, and other small animals. The discount pet supplies range in type from spot-on flea treatments, enzyme cleaners, hamster bedding, and dog food rolls to pet clothing, reptile lamps, bird treats, and joint supplements. In addition to low prices and a wide assortment of merchandise, Earthmutt.com also offers a flat shipping rate--just $9.99--which is especially great when you're ordering heavy discount pet supplies or in bulk.
So far, I have found two sprays from Earthmutt.com's selection of disount pet supplies that I haven't tried yet, Pet Aid Anti-Itch Spray and Dr. Gold's Itch Relief. Unfortunately, I think that the Pet Aid product might do more harm than good, as its main ingredient is alcohol. I know from experience that alcohol burns like crazy, especially on skin that is already irriitated. I don't want to fry Bella's armpits on top of everything else. Dr. Gold's seems a little more promising, as it's alcohol free and affordable. In addition to these two sprays, Earthmutt.com also carries a discount pet supply product called Sulfodene Lotion. I've never tried the lotion before, just the Sulfodene hot spot liquid and shampoo. I think that a lotion might burn less than the hot spot liquid, but I don't know if it will let the hot spot breath enough to dry out.
Right now, I'm so tired and frustrated that I really don't know which product to choose. Like I said before, I think that I've tried every commercial product out there. Maybe it's time to turn to noncommercial products, i.e. make my own. I think that I have recipes in my hot spot research file for essential oil sprays that you mix yourself, and I vaguely remember an article about the benefits of calendula. The question is, where do you find calendula--i.e. ground up marigold--in the middle of winter? Yeah, I have no idea either.
I think that, until I decide what to buy, my best course of action may be to give Bella a spoonful of coconut oil, some Benadryl, and a couple of fish oil capsules; shave her armpits yet again; and see if there are any signs of improvement. If there aren't, I'll give the discount pet supplies at Earthmutt.com a try. Then again maybe I should just go back to school and get a B.S. in chemistry so that I can find a cure for hot spots. The medical community may not think hot spots are a pressing concern, but I bet that there are a lot of you pet owners out there who would disagree.
