Dog Hot Spots Be Gone

Major depression is one of the biggest joy stealers in life. The most severe category of clinical depression, major depression can be triggered by any of three causes .

First, a major trauma in your life can set off a major depression. A severe loss like the death of a loved one, a divorce, a job loss, or other significantly dramatic life experience can start an episode of major depression. or setback or other trauma can trigger a major depression.

Second, you can develop major depression slowly over time if you experience a number of personal disappointments or life problems.

Third, you can simply manifest major depression seemingly out of nowhere. This happens when you develop a chemical imbalance in your brain function. Genetics can also be a cause of this type of depression.

If you're lucky, you'll suffer major depression only once in your lifetime. Known as single episode depression, this kind of one-time depression generally responds well to treatment, either medical or alternative.

Unfortunately, many people experience recurring depression. They suffer for weeks or months or even years and then respond to treatment or get well practically overnight. They'll experience months or years depression-free and then begin feeling depressed again. This type of depression is also treatable, but depression treatment for recurring depression is more complicating and less exact.

When a person suffers from major depression, no matter what the cause, she will struggle with everyday tasks. Getting out of bed in the morning is a major struggle. Focusing is difficult. Pleasure is a thing of the past. The sufferer feels alone and hopeless. Life seems meaningless and purposeless.

So how do you cope with major depression?

You basically have two choices. You can either ride it out and allow it to pass naturally or you can seek depression treatment.
Dog hot spots can be the bane of a canine's existence. They can be a real challenge for the canine's dog parent too! Once a dog breaks out in dog hot spots, it can be tough to get the problem under control.

So what causes dog hot spots and what can you do about them?

Hot spots have many causes. However, most of the causes can be lumped together into four main skin disorders triggers: toxicity or allergies resulting from poor diet or environmental or chemical factors, suppressed disease that is erupting through the skin, immune disorders triggered by vaccinations, and psychological factors like boredom and anxiety.

Now that you know what causes dog hot spots, how can you treat them if your dog gets them and how can you prevent them in the future?

Dog Hot Spot Treatment

Hot spot treatment options include both medical and natural choices. Medical treatments include the use of both oral and topical steroids to reduce inflammation and itchiness and antibiotics to stop infection. Both treatments can have harmful side effects.

Natural treatments include both topical and oral options. Some topical options include Tea tree oil, which is an excellent natural antibiotic; coconut oil, which is antibacterial and antifungal; and Willard Water, which has similar benefits. You can apply Tea tree oil and coconut oil directly to a hot spot. Use Willard Water by adding a teaspoon to 8 ounces of water. Put the dilution in a spray bottle and spray the hot spot a couple times a day.

Both coconut oil and Willard Water can be used orally too. Coconut oil can be melted and added to your dog's food (about 1 T for a 45 pound dogstart gradually, thoughcoconut oil can cause diarrhea in some dogs). Willard Water is a concentrate that you add to bottled water (2 teaspoons per one gallon of water is a common oral dose for dogs).

Some other topical hot spot treatments can also include essential oils. For example, lavender and carrot seed have skin-healing properties. Sweet marjoram essential oil can heal the skin and also relieve stress. Peppermint and chamomile essential oils can relieve pain and itching. Juniper berry essential oil helps prevent hair loss that's associated with chewing on a hot spot.

A great dog hot spot spray can be made from combining unrefined sea salt, essential oils, and bottled water. In a jar, combine a cup of with ½ teaspoon of any of the essential oils just listed. Put a lid on the jar and shake the jar to mix the oil and the salt together well. Now you can use a tablespoon of the oil/salt mixture added to a ¼ cup of cool water to make an soothing and healing hot spot spray. Apply two to four times daily.

Another alternative treatment is a short fast followed by an improved diet. Be sure you use fasting only under vet supervision.

Dog Hot Spot Prevention

The best way to prevent hot spots is to give your dog the best care possible. Specifically, be sure you do the following:

--Feed your dog a high quality dog food.
--Give your dog pure water.
--Keep environmental toxins down to a minimum.
--Be sure your dog is given plenty of exercise and mental stimulation to avoid boredom licking.
--Don't get unnecessary vaccinations.
--When possible, use natural pest-control methods like tea tree oil and garlic.

Hot spots are no fun for dogs or their owners. Part of being a good dog parent is making sure you have on hand what you need to treat hot spots if they erupt. But you also need to take steps to prevent future dog hot spots.