A hot spot is not a particular skin ailment, but rather an area that has been licked/chewed to the point where it develops a bacterial infection that causes the “spot” to be oozing a honey colored, gooey discharge, often with an odor. 

I am a holistic veterinarian, so I can offer a number of possible solutions for you and also some coaching for general itching problems. 

first, since he is worse this summer, I wonder if you have recently had  your old
“analog” electric meter (it has 4 little discs that spin and a man stops
monthly to read it) changed for a “smart meter” or “digital meter” – looks like a
computer. These can cause severe health problems or worsen current ones. Opt
out of getting one.  http://www.stopsmartmeters.org  If you already have one, pay the money to replace it, and the monthly fee we are charged for protecting our children, animals and ourselves from the high EMFs. http://marylandsmartmeterawareness.org/ has info to educate you and help you. 

Also, this summer has been much wetter, and some animals are more susceptible to that. Also, when were vaccines last given? they can cause skin problems. 

Finally, has he been showing any lameness, even mild? Sometimes they will chew on a part of the body that is in pain. 

the conventional treatment for itching is anti-itch medication, topically or orally and maybe an antibiotic. 

Holistically there are some treatments for this episode, then work to maximize health by
following the keys on my website, http://www.MyHealthyAnimals.com, especially the 7 keys to health. Healthy dogs just do not
get hot spots.  

Now, clip the hair around the spot if it is discharging, then use brown lye old fashioned soap followed by the black or green tea bags. Once it is dry, use aloe from your own plant or a drinkable organic aloe vera from the store, or plantain from your yard (if no chemicals there) made into a slurry or calendula to heal. If it is very itchy, SSStingSSSTop ( from the health store) may help. 

Merely improving the diet (raw meaty bones and pureed vegetables) may help end the itchiness, or you may need to seek professional care (Bel Air, Hereford, White Marsh are probably the closest holistic veterinarians to you – http://www.ahvma.org for details, or the links page on my site). Mitomax is
a super probiotic that
can improve nutrient absorption, so helps with all problems. I have had many
animals’ itchiness clear up while using this, though sometimes they need to
stay on it. Unlike other probiotics, it is very stable and is ok at the low
stomach pH.

 Rescue Remedy is an easily available (at any health food store and many regular stores) combination flower essence to “rescue” when needed. 10 drops in a cup of water and sponge on the itchy knee, or add to any other topical treatments you choose. Put one
drop in a separate water bowl for him (and any of the others) to drink – change daily.  If the RR seems to help, you can give some orally (few drops from the bowl) as frequently as any of the family thinks of it.  

Even if the licking is because of a knee issue, the Rescue Remedy may help, as will the self healing methods listed below. Of course, if symptoms worsen – time to visit a veterinarian, preferably an integrative one if you are interested in that approach. 

For the future, learn Reiki (www.AnimalReikiAlliance.com is a local Baltimore source of classes, and any holistic store or practice nearer to you as Reiki is the same for human and animals), acupressure, TTouch, healing Touch for Animals (HTA),
massage, acupressure (several good books) and take one of my homeopathy classes – August is a 6 days class.  

There is a great store that will be a healing resource for all your animals – Baron’s country Store (N of Bel Air, so should be close enough for you). It is near Dave’s natural market, another great resource. 

Ask more questions here if I was not clear. 

Hi Zach,

For reptile owners living in or around Harford County, I’d reccomend Dr. Keith Gold at http://www.chadwellanimalhospital.com/ … He’s very experienced with a wide range of exotics.

Adam

I really have no idea and should probably educate myself more on it, we just take our dogs in when we get the notice postcards our vet sends out. One thing I do know is that it’s expensive!! Individually it doesn’t seem like it but when they’re all added up it gets expensive!

I should have said I have not titred the rabies, (very expensive) but would if I could get a waiver for him.

I would strongly agree.

Withholding food and water is usually the first thing I do for about 24 hours.  But that is very dependent on other signs that my pet may be showing.  If they are acting normally, I will withhold and then start with very small bland meals of rice and boiled chicken to see if they hold it down and resume access to water.  I usually also start them on famotidine, but i would check with your vet about that.

If they are pale, shaky, weak, any other things that are strange… they need to go be seen by a veterinarian.  There really are no over the counter anti-nausea medications that are safe for pets, so I would never give any human medications unless your vet expressly directs you to.  It often makes the situation much worse.

No food or water (NPO = nothing per os, nothing by mouth) is usually a good starting point.  

Even if you think it merely mucus (clear, thick, etc as Krista said) and decide not to go to your vet, this is now a time to begin thinking holistically, realizing that there are a lot of very minor symptoms that can indicate an internal imbalance – see more at http://christinachambreau.com/learn-more/free-articles/early-warning-signs/early-warning-signs-of-ill-health. Feeding fresh food, not vaccinating except for rabies, avoiding chemicals (in food, fleas, yard, house, etc) and learning Reiki or other healing methods will help you deal with discharges of pus or mucus.