What we feed our dogs can greatly affect their health. If your dog suffers from hot spots, it is most likely caused form something in his diet. There are varying degrees of hot spots on dogs. Some may have a hot spot out break once in a while, where there are a few small coin sized areas that are hairless, red, swollen, and weeping. Other’s, like my dog bear , are more involved and the hot spots are frequent, larger, and impossible to heal. If your dog is suffering with these weeping sores, you might want to change their diet.
Bear came to us as a puppy. He was healthy, playful, and just the most wonderful little friend. When he was about one year old, a weeping sore, behind his ear appeared seemingly overnight. He would not stop scratching it and rubbing it on the carpet , which would cause it to bleed. A trip to the vet gave it a name, “hot spot,” and I was sent home with ointments to treat it. This was just the beginning. Bear would frequently break out in these spots that would grow in size. He looked like he had the mange.
I tried topical of all types, homemade, over the counter and prescription. Some would help, but nothing would arrest the progressing spots. I cleaned the hot spots with hydrogen peroxide, which is the best way to clean and treat these sores. Bear was on many rounds of antibiotics for the infections that were caused by constant scratching. He wore the lamp shade around his head often. He was in misery.
Not being able to rid these “hot spots” completely, one would heal and another one would appear, I started to do some research. This research lead me to believe that it was something in his diet that was causing this. I had tried all different types of dog food in the past, thinking that it might just be the brand I was using. Most dog food brands have all the same ingredients. I also did research on how the dog food was processed and where the “meat by products” as listed on the can, came from. Getting the answers to my questions, I was in disgust what I had been feeding our four legged family member.
Bear is now on a diet that after 2 weeks of ingesting nothing but the following recipes has cured him completely of “hot spots”. His beautiful golden fur is fluffy and full, but most of all he is enjoying life once again.
Meat loaf, – I make this meatloaf twice a week. It is enough to feed a large dog for approximately 4 days. You will need to get 5lbs of ground beef. I shop around weekly for the best prices. A 2lb bag of carrots, 4 eggs, a box of plain oatmeal (not instant), a can of tomato soup, and 2 loafs of the multi grain bread. I can get the bread on the day old shelf at the supermarket for almost nothing.
Mix, 5 lbs of ground beef, 4 eggs, 1 cup of oatmeal, 2 cups of shredded carrots, 1 can of tomato soup and 4 slices of the multi grain bread and mix it all together. Once it is mixed completely, form it int a loaf, just like a regular meat loaf. Bake in oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. When done, I store this in the refrigerator.
When I feed my dog, I cut a 1 1/2 inch slice of meatloaf and make a sandwich out of it with the multi grain bread. I give my dog 1 and 1/2 sandwiches in the morning and at night. I cut the sandwich into about eight bite size pieces. This is a total of 3 sandwiches a day. Depending on the size of your dog and the amount of times you feed him during the day, you will need to decide the portion size that is best to suit him.
I make oatmeal snacks for bear instead of dog biscuits. I do this by following the oatmeal cookie recipe on the oatmeal box. I add 1/4 cup more oatmeal so the cookies come out hard like biscuits. Omit the raisins. Raisins are harmful for dogs to eat. These cookies are better than any dog biscuit you can give your dog. You could mold them into any shape you want.
If you want your dog to remain healthy and stop the outbreak of these hot spots follow this recipe. I guarantee the hot spots will be gone, and never to be heard of again, after 2 weeks of following this diet. This recipe can be cut in half for smaller dogs. Depending on the size of your dog this will cost you approximately 35 dollars a week for a large dog and as little as 20 a week for a small dog. This is not much more than you would pay for a designer type dog food.
Feed your dog this recipe and keep treating the hot spots by cleaning them with hydrogen peroxide on at least 3 times a day. If the hot spot area is very involved and needs a good cleaning, you can bath the area with warm water and baby shampoo but rinse thoroughly.
Hot spots can get infected very easily. Your dog will need to go to the vet for antibiotics if the area looks infected. This is usually when a colorful discharge of green or mustard yellow is present.
