From the first falling foliage of autumn to the final frost of the season, our German Shepherd, Perry, suffers from seasonal allergies. Just shy of 8 years old, we have gone through many of the different therapeutic options available for controlling his unexplained atopic dermatitis, but this year he really took us for a ride.
As if the unidentified atopic allergies were not enough, Perry also suffers from separation anxiety. It manifested full force during a tumultuous divorce from my narcissistic ex-husband, resulting in Perry quite literally filing the peaks off his canine teeth while chewing on the metal bars of the wire crate he was frequently secured in. Yikes.
Shepherds are known for being needy. They’re great dogs, don’t get me wrong! Many GSD owners loving call their pets velcro dogs, a term used to describe their extreme attachment to the family unit. Perry is no exception. On a leash-free walk, he frequently herds the family, running ahead to scan for danger and circling back to round up the pack.
After being quarantined for a solid 7 months together, it was time for me to return to work outside the home. Perry did not take it well. It probably also did not help that due to the pandemic, we made the tough decision to split our household as an attempt to minimize possible COVID-19 exposure.
My parents, along with the older and younger family members of the home, were now living separately from me. I didn’t want to be held responsible for unnecessarily exposing loved ones to a series of germs daily. We thought it would be nice to keep Perry with me at the home since he is the only other living being in our family that would not be immunocompromised if I did in fact unintentionally bring home the disease.
Timeline of Events
Hot spots can grow exponentially fast and get really gross if left untreated. Also known as acute moist dermatitis, hot spots are localized areas of skin inflammation and bacterial infection. They rapidly escalate and spread, developing into hot, red, oozing, painful lesions. Disgusting, I know. What started out the size of a quarter on Saturday (7 days after going back to work) progressed to the size of a golfball on Monday which led to an infected hot spot the size of teacup saucer on Tuesday and a $350 vet visit on Thursday. Perry likes to keep things super extra.
WARNING: Raw open wounds. Some images may be graphic and not for the faint of heart. 
Tuesday 10/13 evening. The skin is hot to the touch, wet, and inflamed. 
Thursday 10/15 morning. Everything is a sticky, smelly mess. Matted fur is caked under oozing areas. 
Thursday 10/15 morning. You can see the skin has a yellow tint. That’s the secondary bacteria infection now forming from all the moisture and aggravated skin cells. 
Thursday 10/15 evening. Dr. Hart shaved, cleaned, and treated the wound. 
Friday 10/16 morning. You can see the different levels of healing: healthy, white skin that was shaved; raw, red skin that had to be scraped of infection; scabs a few days old from the initial hot spot area. 
Friday 10/16 evening. Lots of scabbing. Chunks are hanging by a thread. 
Monday 10/19 morning. Much of the wound has scabbed over. Pieces are flaking off. 
Thursday 11/5 morning. Three weeks later, the skin has completely healed and fur is slowly growing back.
Home Remedies
Learn from my mistake: seek professional medical treatment ASAP. Waiting for the hot spot to resolve on its own only made the problem worse. I tried having P wear a long T-shirt, a pair of short shorts, and a summer dress to shield the open sore with no success. I ruined all three garments and Perry kept licking and making things worse. I’d come home midday and find the clothing soaked in a mixture of saliva and blood.
IF you absolutely must delay medical treatment, get yourself an e-collar aka the cone of shame. We probably have 2 or 3 somewhere in the basement. I know we do. Could I find them in our time of need? Of course not. We now have 3 or 4 since I had to go out and grab another Wednesday night after I saw the mess he made of his leg. When I tell you it looked like an uncooked chicken drumstick on a butcher’s block, I wish I were kidding.
For a dog that spends his whole day running around like he’s had 20 cups of coffee, Perry was definitely hurting. KNOW YOUR DOG. Listen to your dog. I tried pressing a warm compress to the wound in an attempt to clean it out and he yelped bloody murder and flinched. I spent 2 nights on the couch, afraid to move, with an 80 lb furchild looking for comfort. Absolutely broke my momma heart. I called and scheduled a vet appointment for the very next afternoon.
Veterinary Care
When we finally did get a vet visit, Dr. Hart was thoroughly impressed. He must have said “oh my God” a handful of times, staring at P’s masterpiece. He said it was by far the nastiest hot spot he’d seen all year. Told y’all, we go big or go home around here. Ugh.
It really was quite disgusting. A faint gross smell, too. I was afraid he was going to lose the leg.. well, not really, as most hot spots are superficial skin issues. I’m being dramatic, but you just never know with these dogs, especially my overachievers.
After the initial shock and reassuring me Perry would not become an amputee, Dr. Hart took him to the back treatment area and did the following:
- Clipped the hair around the infected area to prevent matting.
- Cleared/scraped away the infected skin, oozing, and scabs.
- Cleaned the affected area with gentle antiseptic.
- Prescribed oral antibiotics (Cephalexin) to treat secondary bacterial infections.
- Prescribed oral steroids (Prednisone) to control inflammation and decrease itching.
- Prescribed a tranquilizing sedative (Trazodone) to manage Perry’s anxiety.
- Prescribed an immune suppressant (Apoquel) for the ongoing allergies and atopic dermatitis.
And the cone of shame. Let’s not forget the e-collar! Dr. Hart said for 3 weeks Perry was to eat, sleep, and breathe in this damn thing. If he was given any chance to lick the wound, he could reintroduce bacteria to the sores and the vicious cycle would continue. KILL. ME. NOW. Most of our $350 vet bill was spent on his slew of medications. My counter now looked like a mini pharmacy. THE. WORST.
Prognosis
Perry had to be on the above-mentioned drug cocktail for at least 3 weeks. THREE WEEKS Y’ALL. Neither the vet nor I were happy about putting him on the Pred(nisone), but it was necessary. Prednisone if you didn’t know makes dogs hot and thirsty, resulting in frequent bathroom breaks or household accidents. I ended up bringing him to my parents’ home to heal since they were both working from home and could provide around the clock care. He was happy to be reunited with his people.
By the grace of God, my bosses also approved me to work from home for a few days so I could get him settled in and my parents accustomed to all the pills and schedules.. because of course, this couldn’t be easy. Every medication had different directions:
- Prednisone (steroid) – Give 1/2 tablet twice a day for 4 days, then 1/2 tablet once a day for 4 days, then 1/2 tablet every other day until finished.
- Cephalexin (antibiotic) – Give 2 capsules twice a day for 21 days. Finish medication. Give with food.
- Apoquel (immunosuppressant) – Give 1 tablet twice a day for 7 days, then 1 tablet once a day for 7 days, then 1 tablet every other day or as needed.
- Trazodone (sedative) – Give 2.5 pills every 12 hours as needed for anxiety. Can give up to 3 pills every 12 hours if necessary.
Honestly, after the first round or two of meds, you could see a visible change in Perry’s demeanor. He looked happier, was definitely more comfortable, less itchy, and the wound, though looking worse now than it did before in my opinion, was actually free to breathe and scab over without reinfection.
UPDATE #1: It’s been a week and a half today (October 25). We’re halfway there! The skin has pretty much all scabbed over. Bits and pieces are even flaking off now, a new level of grossness. Bleh. Perry’s back to his hellion self, running around the yard like the neurotic psycho he typically is! Haha. He’s going to be just fine.
UPDATE #2: November 5th – We made it three weeks! The antibiotic horse pills are FINALLY gone. Perry will continue to use Apoquel therapeutically through the winter until early April when his seasonal allergies seem to magically disappear. I’ll be using the cone of shame and Trazodone in the mornings before I leave for work to keep him subdued and the anxiety at bay until I return midday. I hope to eventually wean him off of this and go back to our normal routine, but 2020 has been a weird year. What is even “normal” anymore, anyway?
