# Blisters? Hot spots? Huh? What?



## absolethe (Apr 18, 2004)

Puck has got some kind of a sore behind his ear. It looks sort-of like a cross between a blister and a hive. It feels sorta like a blister to me, but it's red and looks like a swollen area of skin.

I am leary of taking him to the vet. I hate vets and doctors, they are all the same. "Gee, maybe it's this, pay us $30 for this visit and $30 for this medicine and come back in a week." "Oh, I guess that wasn't it, pay us $30 more for this visit and $30 for this new medicine and come back in a week."

I spent over $250 at my vet a few months back because Puck had an excess of protozoa in his intestines that was causing him to have diaherrea. (I think they were protozoa, they are the things that termites have in them that allow them to digest wood. Don't ask me why I know that. It was on the Discovery channel and I recognized the word.) We went through 3 "theories" and 3 different kinds of medicine INCLUDING ANTIBIOTICS (which I HATE taking or giving to anyone unless NECESSARY) before he hit on the correct diagnosis.

So, well, screw him, unless it gets worse or seems like an emergency.

I have some "hot spot" treatment stuff, but I'm wondering if this sounds familiar to anyone. I can't quite seem to understand from the descriptions what a "hot spot" is. 

Whatever the thing is, it doesn't seem to be bothering him, really. He objects when I try to look at it, but if I scratch behind his ears right on it, he doen't care. It's about the size of the tip of my pinky finger.


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## KB (Apr 13, 2004)

The internet is loaded with hot spot info. Tomorrow at work if i get a chance I will look it up, right now it's past my bedtime. But I would treat it anyway. Kemo has gotten weird things too. He has a spot on his tail that gets crusty then bleeds, scabs etc. he never seems bothered by it though and I treat it and it goes away. Next vet visit I will ask about it. But maybe its just a reaction to something. In that spot for Puck at least he cant pick at it :roll:


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## JeepGirlTX (Jul 26, 2004)

Does Puck have any feline siblings? Could it possibly be an abscessed puncture wound, like a bite? My cat had an infected bite wound that sounds kind of like what you're describing. Before I could get him to the vet he scratched it open and got blood EVERYWHERE. (Sorry for the visual.) He got it from fighting with another cat.

Hot spots, from my understanding, are red, sore spots where the fur is missing, like it has been chewed or scratched off. I think it's usually caused by skin allergies. They are definitely itchy, so if it's not bothering him, it's probably something else.

Kemo's mamma -- I would be careful looking up "hot spots" at work -- you might stumble upon something that will get you fired, if you know what I mean 

This is what I found:
_Symptoms: Hot spots appear most commonly on the rump, near the rectum, or on the face just below the ears. They present as intensely reddened, often round patches of moist, sometimes ulcerated areas of skin. The fur over these areas is often matted and coated with a serous discharge, which will eventually crust-over. Intense itching can result in large lesions within a matter of minutes. The lesions are painful and often swollen, and continued self-trauma of licking and chewing may result in thickened skin and scarring._

Good luck!


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## absolethe (Apr 18, 2004)

Hmm... I don't think it is a hot spot. The descriptions I found weren't nearly as detailed, but it didn't sound right. And that description tells me, nope, definately not a hot spot.

In looking at it today, it seems less like a blister. We don't have any cats...and I'm pretty sure that when I first noticed it, there didn't appear to be any scabs/scratches/wounds. There is a scratch on it now, as if it had been itching him. If so, it's not bothering him a lot, because I haven't seen him scratching at it.

I guess the new puppy *could* have scratched him or given him a little puncture wound with her needle teeth or claws. Though, as I said, I didn't see any evidence of that at first.

I guess it can't be a serious problem, whatever it is, because he's had it for a week. But it doesn't look like it's healing. I think it might be getting slightly larger. But it's hard to tell.

I was wondering today if it could be a bug bite?

What do you think I should possibly try treating it with? The stuff I have is called Sulfodene, I think. My mom gave it to me after our dog at home died. He had flea allergies and would scratch himself raw...I guess that's what she had it for.

I was trying to get a picture of it, but my camera is all wonky. 

The only thing so far I've come up with on the internet that sounds similar is...I'm fairly sure...not the problem. I can't remember what he called it, but it was some kind of similar-sounding thing dogs will get on or in their ears, that should be treated by the vet b/c they can leave scar tissue and impair the dog's hearing if they're in the ear. This sore is down behind his ear on his neck. 

So I dunno. I'm still mad at my vet for all the antibiotics. If there were more options around here in nowhere land, I'd probably switch. I can't stand doctors who throw around antibiotics like candy.

It sounds gross, but if it were on me I'd poke it with a needle and see if puss came out.  I'm uhh weird like that.


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## joebeans (Sep 29, 2004)

I wouldn't try to lance it yourself. Although I think about doing things like that too, but I work in the healthcare field so I have been trained to do so. You can try a little topical benadryl ointment if it seems to be itching him, it could just be a bug bite, or a spider bite, they take longer to heal, especially if the dog is scratching it. If your home remedies aren't working, or it is getting worse or infected, by all means, go to the vet.


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## JeepGirlTX (Jul 26, 2004)

I'm all out of guesses. (I only had that one.) If it were Daisy, I would take her to the vet, but I like my vet and Daisy is on a wellness plan so I don't have to pay for office visits. 

I'm sorry that you only have 1 vet available to you and you don't even like him. That's tough.


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## absolethe (Apr 18, 2004)

joebeans said:


> I wouldn't try to lance it yourself. Although I think about doing things like that too, but I work in the healthcare field so I have been trained to do so.


Too bad I moved, not only would there be more vets, but my aunt is a nurse too. ^^; 

It looks exactly the same again today. *sigh* I poke at it and he just looks at me like, "Why are you poking me?"


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## absolethe (Apr 18, 2004)

Geez.

My vet totally met my expectations. I decided, hey, this thing has been here for 2 weeks. I don't think it's changed, except that it may have gotten marginally bigger, so, let's see.

So I go to the vet. She sticks it with a needle to see if there's fluid. There isn't.

She shrugs, says, "Huh. Well, it's some kind of a cyst I guess. Let's try him on an anti-biotic for a while and see if it goes away. If not, we may want to surgically remove it if it's bothering him."

$64.

I LOVE YOU VET!!!!!!!!!!


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## JeepGirlTX (Jul 26, 2004)

I'm sorry!


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## JeepGirlTX (Jul 26, 2004)

Maybe this is what Puck has:
http://www.bobmckee.com/Client Info/Neoplasia/Histiocytomas.html

I was looking up something else, but when I read this it sounded like what you were talking about. There are no pictures, though.


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## absolethe (Apr 18, 2004)

Hmm. Maybe. I was going to say, "I don't think so" because at first I thought it was a blister. 

The description says it is "firm" which this was not initially. I had thought it was probably filled with fluid, because that's sorta how it looked.

But I poke it today at it does seem to fit the "firm" description.

I'm not certain, though, as this lump has been red since it appeared.

I think I might schedule him an appointment at the Petsmart vet. It's a bit of a drive, but I am so sick of my vet putting him on antibiotics...


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## JeepGirlTX (Jul 26, 2004)

Daisy goes to Banfield (the Petsmart vet) and I really like them. You should look at their wellness plans while you're there. I have 3 cats in addition to Daisy, and they are all on wellness plans. It has saved me a TON of money.

Good luck! I hope you get some answers this time.


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