Dog Hot Spots – A Naturally Organic Solution

As well as being an animal therapist and lecturer in wellness, I’m also a master herbalist and founder and formulator of my organic canine wellness company, AniScentia.

Canine pain, redness and itching are the main symptoms of hot spots. The area may become swollen too which will be open to infection and inflammation. Hair loss can also be seen where there are hot spot patches.
A vet should be the person to diagnose hot spots as they could look similar to other things. If hot spots have been diagnosed, then veterinary treatment may be offered to control any infection and it may be suggested that your dog be kept indoors, away from potential triggers until the skin recover.

Pets with longer fur can often experience a delay of hot spot identification because they’re not often seen until a bald patch becomes apparent in what is usually a well-covered area!

• Some symptoms of canine hot spots are:
• Itchy, painful patch of skin
• Abnormal aggression
• Inflammation, redness, and swelling of an area of skin
• Scabby skin oozing
• Dry scaly skin

AniScentia formulated an organic product for hot spot dogs – Hot Spot Potty!
There are just five ingredients in our Hot Spot Potty. It’s organic, natural and 100% pure, without preservatives, chemicals or any additives.

Hot Spot Potty contains Calendula, Myrrh, Yarrow, Frankincense & Chamomile
The useful components of calendula include a volatile oil, carotenoids, flavonoids, mucilage, resin, polysachharides, aromatic plant acids as well as saponins, glycosides and sterols. Extracts of calendula can include an infused oil, alcohol tincture, water soluble tea, or distilled and used as essential oil or watery distillate (hydrolate). But I choose to include it as the base oil for Hot Spot Potty because calendula is antimicrobial and has many skin calming actions. Much of the healing properties of calendula are because of its high levels of carotenoids (vitamin A-like compounds).

I choose to add Myrrh as the trigger essential oil in this formulation. Myrrh is antimicrobial, but also works to combat pain and inflammation, myrrh is an excellent wound healer. Another reason I chose myrrh to work as a skin soothing oil was because dogs with hot spots can become very agitated, so in addition to the physical support myrrh offers to the skin, there are also the emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of using this oil with dogs. It’s said to impact a sense of connection and helps dogs realise what actions will create reactions. So, in theory, skin nibbling will create more skin soreness.

Another core oil in Hot Spot Potty is pore stimulating yarrow. Yarrow is an expensive essential oil and not one that many aromatherapists choose to carry in their dog aromatherapy kit. I love the smell of the oil, but I love its colour too, it releases itself from the bottle as a wonderful vibrant blue colour! On a physical level yarrow, it possess therapeutic properties such as antirheumatic, anti-inflammatory, anti-spasmodic, haemostateic, astringent and citrisant activities that assist with the healing of wounds – wonderful for stressed canine skin. If inflammation is present due to infection then yarrow with help soothe any inflammation. On an olfactory level, yarrow’s aroma will help to lower canine stress and is helpful for insomnia problems – great when dogs are constantly waking up in the middle of the night nibbling and scratching.

Frankincense is another resin based essential oil. It has a long history of both mind and body benefits and can benefit the canine skin and mind greatly. Frankincense has an earthy smell and I’ve found that you either love it or hate it. I love it, but only when combined with other oils as it’s a little too ‘musty’ smelling for me on its own. Frankincense is in our Hot Spot Potty because it increases blood flow and circulation so will go some way into repairing the damage of the dog’s skin caused by their nibbling and scratching. Frankincense also reduces skin discoloration and imperfections so once again a great benefit when there’s lesions that may later produce deeper discoloured scar tissue.

Chamomile – all hail chamomile for dogs – the roman variety that is. It’s one of my ‘go to’ oils every time. Saskia, my own dog absolutely loves chamomile. She’s even been known to delve into an empty cup that contained chamomile tea and lick around it. Roman Chamomile (anthemis nobilis) is also known as English, Noble or Common Chamomile. This variety is perennial and grows low to the ground where it spreads as ground cover. Its essential oil contains around 80% esters, <4% chamazulene and looks clear to pale yellow in colour.
German Chamomile, (Matricaria recutita), which I’m not too keen on if I’m being honest, is also known as Hungarian, or Blue Chamomile. This variety is annual and grows tall. It doesn’t have the same spreading habit as Roman Chamomile. Its essential oil is deep blue due to its high chamazulene content (2-5%) and it contains a high percentage of alcohols such as bisabolol and this is another reason I don’t use it for animal formulations.
Thankfully, over the years there has been many studies about the usage of chamomile essential oil. In one trial with humans, chamomile was found to have an effect that was 60% as active as 0.25% hydrocortisone when applied topically. Hydrocortisone is a steroid based ointment and I certainly would use this with caution.

So say no to hot spots that drive your dog potty with our 100% natural and organic Hot Spot Potty skin serum. Now £3 off!

To purchase, go to the ‘Skin & Allergies’ shop on our website or click here: https://www.aniscentia.com/product-page/hot-spot-potty

I graduated as a master herbalist on 2016, but I qualified as an animal aromatherapist back in 1997 after three years study. My mentor was Jean Bradbury, a lovely lady and a retired holistic veterinarian.
Here are just a few of our customer reviews for Hot Spot Potty for dogs:

We’re astounded – what steroids couldn’t sort out, Hot Spot Potty did – & in just 2 weeks!” May Goodwin, Derbyshire.

“This skin serum smells delicious! My Great Dane Tom has terrible hot spot patches and we’ve always dreaded the summer months. Not this July – Tom started with his first hot spot patch on the 6th July. The ‘Hot Spot Potty’ skin serum arrived on the 9th. We applied it 3 times a day and by the 14th the hot spot patch had vanished, plus it left his skin a lot more moisurized too. Happy Customer”. Debbie Brown, Exeter.

“I shouldn’t say this, but I’ve used it myself. I have flair ups of dermatitis every now and then and this product reduces the redness overnight”. Abigail Keith, Edinburgh