# Sudden skin irritation and bald patch



## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Hi everyone, Lilo was scratching her neck late last night and we noticed her skin was red and irritated... but it's gone so much worse overnight! She even has a bald patch that suddenly appeared in just a matter of hours. :sad: :sad: :sad: Weirdly it's not red anymore this morning though...

I'm taking her to the vet as soon as they open, but in the mean time I was wondering if anyone has had that happen? I'm thinking it's some kind of mange, but it was so sudden.

I wonder if it's related to her rolling in what we thought was fox pee yesterday morning?? It's right there on her neck where she rolled. I did wash it as soon as we came home though. 

This is what it looks like right now


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

That looks like a dark spot; black? I will be interested to know what the vet said. Maybe it is a bite from an insect/spider that was in whatever she rolled in. Usually, when you see a fast developing red spot, if you search you may see a tick/insect attached. That certainly is a 'reaction'. Good luck, and let us know what happened.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

susan davis said:


> That looks like a dark spot; black? I will be interested to know what the vet said. Maybe it is a bite from an insect/spider that was in whatever she rolled in. Usually, when you see a fast developing red spot, if you search you may see a tick/insect attached. That certainly is a 'reaction'. Good luck, and let us know what happened.


In the end the vet said it looks like eczema, but wasn't sure about what exactly caused it. She said it doesn't look like parasites and didn't mention it being a bite so I'm not sure. I thought it might be a bite too, but they had to shave more of the affected area to clean it all up and I can't seen anything that looks like a bite. It was quite crusty last night though and it looked like there was a bit of a wound... but by this morning she had scratched it all off so who knows!  

She seems ok otherwise, eating and drinking normally, but she's not fully herself. She seems a bit lethargic compared to normal.

Either way, she's on a medicated cream for a week now so we'll see if it clears up. Hope it heals and her hair grows back quickly.


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## Ari1405 (Apr 18, 2017)

I don't think I've ever seen anything like that on my dogs. But I hope Lilo feels better.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I have never heard of eczema in a dog. Usually (in humans) eczema is due to an irritation to the skin---allergies etc. Hopefully the creme will help to heal up this. Try to keep her from scratching, rolling to the neck area.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Ari1405 said:


> I don't think I've ever seen anything like that on my dogs. But I hope Lilo feels better.


Thanks! I hope it all heals soon, I hate seeing her like this and with her neck half shaved.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

susan davis said:


> I have never heard of eczema in a dog. Usually (in humans) eczema is due to an irritation to the skin---allergies etc. Hopefully the creme will help to heal up this. Try to keep her from scratching, rolling to the neck area.


Yeah the vet said it can be caused by a lot of things. She's never had issues with allergies before, but maybe there was something dodgy in the grass where she rolled that irritated her. It was in a public park so who knows what was there. 

I'm keeping her on or near me so I can stop her from scratching, even at night. I might get her a t-shirt that covers the neck so she can't scratch and also doesn't get a sun burn.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Does the creme help the itching? I assume the creme has cortisone in it? Lets hope it helps the itchiness soon.


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## Qbnkelt (Aug 27, 2017)

That looks like a hot spot, also knows as moist dermatitis. I’ve also heard it called dog eczema. 
My male golden retriever gets it if he doesn’t dry fully after a swim and goes to bed damp. 
See if your vet offers laser treatment for it. If he does, consider it. I’ve had great results with my dog when he’s had the laser treatment, cuts healing time by half. I now have my dogs undergo laser therapy for wounds and hip or joint stiffness. 
Keep your dog from scratching the area, put a baby T-shirt on if you can. It’s hard to see where it is. 



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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

susan davis said:


> Does the creme help the itching? I assume the creme has cortisone in it? Lets hope it helps the itchiness soon.


The active ingredients are fusidic acid (which I think is an antibiotic) and betamethasone for the itching. It's helped a lot so far, she's barely scratching now so that's good!


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Qbnkelt said:


> That looks like a hot spot, also knows as moist dermatitis. I’ve also heard it called dog eczema.
> My male golden retriever gets it if he doesn’t dry fully after a swim and goes to bed damp.
> See if your vet offers laser treatment for it. If he does, consider it. I’ve had great results with my dog when he’s had the laser treatment, cuts healing time by half. I now have my dogs undergo laser therapy for wounds and hip or joint stiffness.
> Keep your dog from scratching the area, put a baby T-shirt on if you can. It’s hard to see where it is.


Yes that's what the vet said in the end, eczema. Not sure what caused it in her case though! I wish I knew so we could avoid it happening again! Does your golden retriever also get bald spots when this happens? How long does it usually take to heal and for the hair to regrow? 

Good to know about the laser treatment, thanks. So far we've been given a medicated cream to put on it for about a week so we'll see how it goes after that. It stopped the itching so far at least!


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## Qbnkelt (Aug 27, 2017)

coco_little_bear said:


> Yes that's what the vet said in the end, eczema. Not sure what caused it in her case though! I wish I knew so we could avoid it happening again! Does your golden retriever also get bald spots when this happens? How long does it usually take to heal and for the hair to regrow?
> 
> 
> 
> Good to know about the laser treatment, thanks. So far we've been given a medicated cream to put on it for about a week so we'll see how it goes after that. It stopped the itching so far at least!




Without laser, it generally takes him about two weeks to heal. Since we start d doing laser treatment it takes seven to ten days to heal. 

Yes, he gets bald spots, which te red, angry, and wet when they start out. As soon as the hair is clipped the air gets to it and healing begin. 

The main thing is not to allow scratching as it’s healing. The last one my golden had was almost healed and I took the collar off because I felt sorry for him and he went at it. Back to waiting for the scab to form again. 

Is your dog’s scabbing over yet? That’s the other reason I like the laser treatments, the scans are much thinner. 

Edit: The hair grows back immediately. 

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## Qbnkelt (Aug 27, 2017)

Qbnkelt said:


> Without laser, it generally takes him about two weeks to heal. Since we start d doing laser treatment it takes seven to ten days to heal.
> 
> Yes, he gets bald spots, which te red, angry, and wet when they start out. As soon as the hair is clipped the air gets to it and healing begin.
> 
> ...















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## Qbnkelt (Aug 27, 2017)

Qbnkelt said:


> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro




http://www.thedrakecenter.com/services/dogs/laser-therapy-for-dogs


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Lets hope she gets better fast. The creme has a cortisone type medicine and an antibiotic in it. Please use it until all the redness is gone, or the tube is empty. The cortisone in it will help the itchiness.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Qbnkelt said:


> Without laser, it generally takes him about two weeks to heal. Since we start d doing laser treatment it takes seven to ten days to heal.
> 
> Yes, he gets bald spots, which te red, angry, and wet when they start out. As soon as the hair is clipped the air gets to it and healing begin.
> 
> ...


Oh judging by those pictures it definitely looks like the same thing! There's no scab yet, but the cream has stopped the scratching thankfully so I'm hoping it'll heal fast enough. This is what it looks like right now after 3-4 days:










Good to hear the hair grows back easily. Dr. Google is a scary place sometimes, I had read some horror stories. :lol:


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

susan davis said:


> Lets hope she gets better fast. The creme has a cortisone type medicine and an antibiotic in it. Please use it until all the redness is gone, or the tube is empty. The cortisone in it will help the itchiness.


Thanks, will do! I can see it's not really bothering her anymore so that's a good start.


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## Qbnkelt (Aug 27, 2017)

coco_little_bear said:


> Oh judging by those pictures it definitely looks like the same thing! There's no scab yet, but the cream has stopped the scratching thankfully so I'm hoping it'll heal fast enough. This is what it looks like right now after 3-4 days:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Oh that looks REALLY good. It’s healing very nicely. 

The next challenge is to keep him from scratching. You remember when you were little how when your cuts began to heal they would itch? Well add to that the fact that hair is growing and pulling at the edges. 

You can’t really use a collar there unless it’s a very soft fabric collar. That’s a rough spot to keep from scratching and damaging. 

You might not get a bit scab if you’re using an ointment because an ointment keeps it moist. Different treatments give different results in the healing process. I’ve even heard people using the green bottle of Gold Bond Medicated powder. 

What I’ve done is get a refill of the spray my vet prescribed and keep it on hand. First sign of it forming I clip the hair myself and start treating. But that’s because I’ve got a golden who gets them almost every summer if he doesn’t dry off fully after swimming. He’s got a ton of double coat. 


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Qbnkelt said:


> Oh that looks REALLY good. It’s healing very nicely.
> 
> The next challenge is to keep him from scratching. You remember when you were little how when your cuts began to heal they would itch? Well add to that the fact that hair is growing and pulling at the edges.
> 
> ...


Eek yeah I can imagine with the hair growing as well it can get super itchy. lol That's the thing it's a bit of an awkward place so I can't put a collar and no top covers the area either. I could put a hoodie on her, but it's been quite warm here so she'd hate that. lol Thankfully the cream has worked well so far, she hasn't tried to scratch at all today. It doesn't seem to bother her at all. And I use a step in harness that doesn't touch her anywhere near it.

At least I know what it is now so if it happens again I'll know what to do right away!


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## Qbnkelt (Aug 27, 2017)

coco_little_bear said:


> Eek yeah I can imagine with the hair growing as well it can get super itchy. lol That's the thing it's a bit of an awkward place so I can't put a collar and no top covers the area either. I could put a hoodie on her, but it's been quite warm here so she'd hate that. lol Thankfully the cream has worked well so far, she hasn't tried to scratch at all today. It doesn't seem to bother her at all. And I use a step in harness that doesn't touch her anywhere near it.
> 
> 
> 
> At least I know what it is now so if it happens again I'll know what to do right away!




See if your vet will allow you to keep a spare tube on hand. After three instances with Max I requested a bottle of Betagen (his prescription) to begin immediate treatment as long as I brought him in right away. 

With this condition, hours can matter. It can grow overnight and get HUGE. If hair is clipped early and treatment begins early, it can be contained. 

The first time it happened I had no clue what it was and waited until the morning to call for an evening appointment. By the time I got Max in, his neck was covered in a raw, red, angry looking wound. I mean HIS ENTIRE NECK. I’d never heard of it and I’d never seen anything like it before. I felt so guilty. 

Hope your baby continues to heal so well. It really looks good. 


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Qbnkelt said:


> See if your vet will allow you to keep a spare tube on hand. After three instances with Max I requested a bottle of Betagen (his prescription) to begin immediate treatment as long as I brought him in right away.
> 
> With this condition, hours can matter. It can grow overnight and get HUGE. If hair is clipped early and treatment begins early, it can be contained.
> 
> ...


That's what I realised. I planned to take her to the vet in the morning at the time and really didn't expect to wake up to a big bald spot!! 

When did your dog start getting this? Did he always have that issue or did it crop up later on? My girl is 5 years old and never had this before. I was hoping this is just a one off, but who knows. I have a feeling the vet won't let me have extra of this cream, but it's worth asking I suppose.


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## Qbnkelt (Aug 27, 2017)

coco_little_bear said:


> That's what I realised. I planned to take her to the vet in the morning at the time and really didn't expect to wake up to a big bald spot!!
> 
> 
> 
> When did your dog start getting this? Did he always have that issue or did it crop up later on? My girl is 5 years old and never had this before. I was hoping this is just a one off, but who knows. I have a feeling the vet won't let me have extra of this cream, but it's worth asking I suppose.




He was two when it first happened. It was his first summer in full coat, and he’d gone swimming. It was late in the afternoon and he didn’t have time to dry off before bed. Next day when we got home I put my hand in his neck and he pulled away and I noticed there was a wet spot. I part d the hair and there was a small red area. So I decided to call Monday for a vet visit. By Monday morning the length of his neck was raw and wet and angry. By the time I got him to the vet (I didn’t consider it an emergency) whichbwas mid afternoon they shaved HIS. WHOLE. NECK. 

That’s when I decided never again. Vet visit immediately.

He gets one almost every summer. I have to dry him and keep him out of the water (difficult to do with a golden) before late afternoon sets in. 


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I sure would invest in a good clipper! Good for you in taking the necessary steps to prevent this from getting to a huge problem again!


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Qbnkelt said:


> He was two when it first happened. It was his first summer in full coat, and he’d gone swimming. It was late in the afternoon and he didn’t have time to dry off before bed. Next day when we got home I put my hand in his neck and he pulled away and I noticed there was a wet spot. I part d the hair and there was a small red area. So I decided to call Monday for a vet visit. By Monday morning the length of his neck was raw and wet and angry. By the time I got him to the vet (I didn’t consider it an emergency) whichbwas mid afternoon they shaved HIS. WHOLE. NECK.
> 
> That’s when I decided never again. Vet visit immediately.
> 
> He gets one almost every summer. I have to dry him and keep him out of the water (difficult to do with a golden) before late afternoon sets in.


Aww poor thing, it must have been awful with it being his whole neck! And yeah I can imagine it's hard to keep a golden retriever out of water! haha My chis only swim occasionally and their fur is so short that it dries easily anyway. In my case Lilo didn't get wet that day so I guess we'll never know what caused it.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

susan davis said:


> I sure would invest in a good clipper! Good for you in taking the necessary steps to prevent this from getting to a huge problem again!


Thankfully I already have one so next time (hopefully there won't be one though lol) I'll know to clean the area and clip the hair right away to let it breathe before we get to the vet.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Just an update, in case this happens to anyone else and you're reading this wondering how long it takes to heal. 

This is what it looks like today after nearly 10 days. The scab ended up falling naturally after 6-7 days and her hair is already growing back. We stopped the medicated cream after a week (as recommended by the vet) and there hasn't been any itching since stopping it either.










She's a happy girl again.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Gee whiz!! That certainly WAS a FAST growing 'hot spot'!! Such a big spot for just overnight to develop. So glad she is a 'happy girl' again.


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## Qbnkelt (Aug 27, 2017)

coco_little_bear said:


> Just an update, in case this happens to anyone else and you're reading this wondering how long it takes to heal.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




That’s FANTASTIC!!! Much faster than my guys without laser. It used to take them two weeks. 

That’s some awesome stuff they gave you!

Congrats on your baby being so well now, and so quickly healed!!!


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

susan davis said:


> Gee whiz!! That certainly WAS a FAST growing 'hot spot'!! Such a big spot for just overnight to develop. So glad she is a 'happy girl' again.


I know right, so scary when you don't know what it is. But she's doing great now.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Qbnkelt said:


> That’s FANTASTIC!!! Much faster than my guys without laser. It used to take them two weeks.
> 
> That’s some awesome stuff they gave you!
> 
> Congrats on your baby being so well now, and so quickly healed!!!


Yeah I'm impressed with how fast it healed! So happy! The cream is called Isaderm gel if you're interested. I don't know if you have that over there or something similar. It has fusidic acid and betamethasone in it.


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## Qbnkelt (Aug 27, 2017)

coco_little_bear said:


> Yeah I'm impressed with how fast it healed! So happy! The cream is called Isaderm gel if you're interested. I don't know if you have that over there or something similar. It has fusidic acid and betamethasone in it.




I’ll check with my vet. 

The Betagen Max has been prescribed has betamethasone, if I’m not mistaken. 

Are you in the UK?

Edit: just checked, Betagen and Genone have Gentamicin Sulfate with Betamethasone Valerate. 

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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

Betamethasone IS a cortisone derivative. Big time anti-inflammatory. The Gentamicin is an antibiotic. Really helpful in hot spots.


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## coco_little_bear (May 30, 2012)

Qbnkelt said:


> I’ll check with my vet.
> 
> The Betagen Max has been prescribed has betamethasone, if I’m not mistaken.
> 
> ...


Hey sorry I took a while to reply, yes I'm in the UK. That sounds very much like the same thing as mine.


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## Papillon (Mar 20, 2020)

From your first picture i would have wondered about mites
Did the vet check a sample with a microscope ?

It’s most often seen in young and old because of weak immune system and it is very obvious in the case the dog peal around the eyes, but if not, lots of vet don’t check :/
So if it ever comes back, please do have the vet scratch and check with a microscope, it can’t be seen without it, and it is really damaging to the skin if it last 
Years ago i had a dog go through 3vets before one country vet instantly figured it, but it was 3months after we discovered the symptoms and the dog skin was totally ruined, too many wrong treatment and the parasite damage, 2more month of very strong treatment, and the dog skin stank forever … 

So i hope it will not happen again but if it does, please do check !


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