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Like everything else in life, hot spots happen. This is also called moist eczema or acute moist dermatitis. Whatever you call it, it's big, mean and nasty…and golden retrievers are the unrivaled kings of hot spots. When your dog has his first hot spot, you may panic but believe me, you can help the dog without rushing him to the vet. There are two things to remember when treating hot spots: do it fast, keep it dry.
A hot spot is a localized place on the dog's skin where an irritant has caused him to lick it raw…it becomes infected and spreads like wildfire. The most common areas are anywhere the skin folds and hair is plentiful: under the ears, between the legs, near the tail. A dime-sized hot spot can cover the dog's whole back over night if you aren't careful. Anything can be the irritant: soap not rinsed off, a bug bite, allergies, a small cut. The dog will lick and scratch the area until it oozes pus. A hot spot is one area of inflammation, not a series of small bumps or redness. It is usually not bloody and the hair can mat over it so you won't see it right away. If your dog is scratching or licking one area constantly, be on the lookout.
If there are small, scabby, bleeding bumps surrounding the hot spot, it has most likely developed into a staph infection, and that needs veterinary attention. Otherwise, here's what you can do:
1) Wash the hot spot with antibacterial soap, like liquid Dial. Rinse very well.
2) DRY THE HOT SPOT! The area will be very tender but you have to dry it as much as humanely possible. Use a hair dryer if the dog will let you. Dry the skin and the hair around it.
3) Soak a small, clean cloth with cool DOMEBORO solution. This is an antibiotic powder that you mix with water. You can buy it at a drug store, it comes in a small white & blue box. Mix it to the strongest concentration (1 packet to 1 cup water). Spend several minutes soaking the hot spot with Domeboro. This is soothing and will work wonders.
4) Repeat the drying process after applying the Domeboro.
5) Apply a VERY liberal amount of BABY GOLD BOND MEDICATED POWDER to the hot spot and surrounding hair. This will help dry out the hot spot and stop it from oozing so it will heal. You will have to apply more Gold Bond powder every few hours. Again, be LIBERAL with it!
6) DO NOT LET THE DOG LICK OR SCRATCH THE HOT SPOT! This is of utmost importance! If necessary, keep the dog on leash while in the house and correct him if he tries to lick it. If he licks it, it will only get worse!
7) Again, the only way to make a hot spot get better is to make it dry up. If it cannot get air, it will not dry up. If your dog has very thick hair, you are going to have to cut the hair away from the area. Also, the Gold Bond powder will clot against the skin because the hot spot "weeps." For this reason, you must wash & repeat the Domeboro at least once a day.
8) After several days of Domeboro/Gold Bond and constant vigilance, the hot spot should be drying up and scabbing over. You can apply tea tree oil to the spot to speed up the scabbing. Keep it up until the whole thing scabs over. Once it does, you can stop the washing/powdering bit. Now you can put some sort of moisturizing lotion…aloe vera or Vitamin E oil…on the scab to promote new skin growth and keep dandruff from forming. Consider the hot spot conquered!

This "cure" is used for the occasional upset tummy or irritable bowel, or if the dog is stressed and shows it by having lose stools. If you think your dog has eaten something that could potentially harm him, or is displaying other clinical signs like vomiting, lethargy, and strange behavior (other than needing to go outside more often!), you need to call your vet. Also, young puppies (under 5 months) can become very dehydrated from diarrhea, or diarrhea can be the precursor to something very bad, so please call your vet for pups that young.
A word about blood in the stool. If you see a small amount fresh, bright red blood in the stool, it is from the colon and is probably caused by too much straining. It is not a problem unless it is excessive (as in, more than a few drops). Dark, blackish-brown stools (digested blood) are indicative of bleeding in the stomach and/or small intestine, which is definitely not something to mess around with. Call your vet. Most cases of "common" diarrhea are caused by irritation of the large intestine/colon. This organ's sole purpose is to absorb water, so when it is stressed, it stops absorbing enough water. That's why the stools are runny and dogs (small ones or puppies) can get dehydrated.
Okay, so here's what I do:
Restrict all food from the dog for at least a day, sometimes two days. The goal is to get your dog's digestive tract to "clean out," and you will know when this has been accomplished because your dog will no longer have bowel movements for about 6-8 hours. Fasting gives the dog's body the opportunity to clear itself of any toxins (i.e. whatever caused the diarrhea) and work at healing itself. Fasting is very normal and a day or two without food is NOT going to hurt an otherwise healthy dog. In the wild, dogs would go for days between meals. So ignore those sad puppy dogs eyes for a day or so. Obviously, provide ample fresh water and ice cubes, if your dog likes to eat ice cubes. Adequate access to water is necessary.
And remember, no food means NO FOOD! No treats, no meals, no licking your ice cream bowl.
Break the fast by offering your dog a mixture of the following (this is for a golden-sized dog, adjust to fit your dog's size):
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 to 1 cup yogurt w/ acidophilus (most grocery-store brands have this, just look for acidophilus or "live active cultures" on the container)

Offer this to the dog twice, 4-6 hours apart.

Then, mix that up again, but add the following:
1-2 cups over-boiled (mushy) rice (white or brown)
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2-3 acidophilus capsules (emptied) if you have those (they are inexpensive, buy some if you can find them)

Offer the dog this twice in the next 12 or so hours (like, once for breakfast, once for lunch...it doesn't have to be exact).

After digesting this your dog should have a bowel movement. Hopefully it is somewhat formed and small. If so, hooray, you're on the road to recovery. If not, you can try the fasting process again for another day or half-day, and start over with the special meals...after that if it doesn't work call the vet.

Over the next few days, keep mixing up the vinegar/honey/yogurt/rice/garlic mix, but add a bit of his normal food, gradually reducing the rice mix and increasing his normal food. If your dog takes vitamins, add those into the rice mix as well.

For those who feed the BARF diet, I usually begin mixing small RMB's into the rice mix first, as these are most conducive to firming up the stool.

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