Hi everyone

I don't post often but do read the boards regularly as there is always an abundance of great experience and advice to be had here. I hope some of you can help me out? I have used the search function to see if my questions have been addressed before but while there are many helpful posts explaining what exactly a hotspot is and how to treat etc, it looks like no one has asked my specific questions before so here goes:

1. It seems the common consensus is that hotspots are caused by one of or combinations of: damp, humid conditions (in dogs with thick double coat), parasite activity or allergy to even one bite, food intolerances, self injury (sometimes due to itchy skin condition or bite).

Has anyone ever felt that a hotspot has been brought on by stress / anxiety? 

2. Would any of you breeders consider it unwise / unethical to breed from a dog who has suffered hotspots?

3. If any of you have bred bitches who have in the past suffered from hotspots, did hotspots re-occur during pregnancy or post whelp? If so, do you think that the episode was linked to the pregnancy / whelping process?

thank you in advance for your responses

Sarah

My now deceased foundation bitch had hot spots on occasions.  They tended to occurring the summer and my Vet suspected it was flea allergy that set them of, even though she never showed signs of having fleas.  We started using Frontline spray every three months and she never was troubled by them again.

They did not seem o coincide with her being bred from (she had two litters) and actually most of hers occurred after she was spayed.

One or two of the others of her five generations of descendants have ha the occasional hot spot (two I think) and they were entire, adn in those teh hot spots were results of injury to the skin due to rough play and the weather being humid and a secondary yeast/fungal infection setting in where the skin had been damaged.

I have a theory that it is hormonal!? 

Well I have known both males and females, so which hormones do you think are affecting the dogs, as I ahve known both entire ones and neutered ones have them.

Mine have alwas coincided with humid weather conditions.

It was just a theory...certainly to do with some bitches I know...they ALWAYS had hot spots pre season...males do have hormones too...we all do...otherwise we would die! They still have hormones circulating, just not the ones affecting the testes...I wasn't being provocative...just stating experience that may or may not be related...but I don't think hormones can totally be ignored is all...maybe I'm sorry I said anything now!

Nope was just asking, as lack of hormones certainly affects the coats, so don't see why an imbalance or something might not, just wondered which specific hormones you thought might be at play..

The particular hormone I was thinking of, apart from fluctuating 'pup producing' hormones (hehe) was cortisol...a hormone produced when stressed...even small elevations can cause symptoms and dogs being dogs don't neccassarily let you know when they are particularly stressed...there was an article in the New York Times about dogs getting stressed and their cortisol levels being raised...but I can't find it now...I will have another look later...at the moment I am nursing Hubby (poor thing!) as he has had a tooth out and is a total and utter wimp!! AND..I KNOW he will read this LOL :D Hope this helps? But it is very interesting, well, at least I find it interesting!, finding out about all the things that can have an effect on doggies...all the best, Dawn

I've only had hotspots once.  All my girls developed them 10 days after I tried JWB hyperallergenic food!   Changed them back and nobody's had them since.

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments! It's so good to be able to get some perspective.

Sarah