You know the drill with doggos, they do stupid stuff. This one I have been with to the vet multiple times because he ran off some kind of mountain thinking he is a bulldozer or something. But the animal is just a tank and has no finesse in there.
Or what about in the woods just wondering around and eating all kinds of stuff that makes the belly go hmmmmm. Again, a one way trip to the vet for some meds again.
And these vets have changed over the years. More and more practices have been taken over by bigger chains that also made the bigger prices in there. Animal medicine turned into big business. Luckily I was always still with this old dude who really was just a fun character with dogs. Happy to find a good one you know!
And you know the drill with these guys. They always do something when you are not looking and that is when they injure themselves.
With minor injuries, that is when the hassle starts with these guys.
About two weeks back...
That is the first time when I notices that there was something like a red spot on the paw of the animal on the topside. My guess....While chasing something, sometimes he is going too fast for his weight and he just misses the curve and tips over.
Warning: There are a little bit more graphic images here underneith.
This is your own choice to scroll down if you don't want to see them
My guess was that was this as well. At some point he must have done something that makes a little road rash and makes the skin soar, even though while it was covered with all of that hair.
But you know what dogs do when something is up within them. they start licking the area. One because it is their natural urge to 'clean'. the area, but at a certain point this because like a habit and an uncontrollable urge.
Hotspots you call this, and usually it gets worse and worse because they will continue to aggravate the area.
Time for some intervention. With some googling I came up with ' honey ointment' that is soft to the skin and has natural healing elements in there.
He wasn't bothered at all by the application of it and usually I would do this before we would go walking so he would be distracted and wouldn't start to lick on it.
It didn't help though and only got worse
Doggo would totally leave the spot alone when we were there and also when he would start to lick it, it was just a matter of calling him out on it and he would stop again.
The problem is when we are not there
Because especially in the mornings when we would reach he, it already seemed that he had been licking the spot for a good one and everything was red and irritated again and even got worse and bigger. Crap!
Time for bigger measures, time to pay the vet a visit.
The vet totally agreed on our initial approach but decided that it was time for a bit more in there.
So using a fresh ointment with prednison to stop the itching urge and an antibacterial factor to it. That seems reasonable. No more itching and something to keep it nice and clean.
The beginning of healing has started as you can see here on one side. The hair is starting to grow back on the black side, but the other side is still raw.
Will see how it develops, but Im not too grabby on the option of putting a hood on him, because he will walk into everything (let's face it, bernese mountain dogs are not that smart)
But poor doggo! I really hate seeing these guys having any issues an because you cant communicate with them...you can't tell them to stop the licking because it will make it worse.
Luckily...his mood and temper hasn't changed a thing and he is still the same :))
