What can I give my dog for allergies and itching, like hydrocortisone?

I am sorry that Ali has a hotspot. I would recommend to give her 1/2 teaspoon of childrens liquid benadryl twice a day to help with the itching. You can use a small amount of hydrocortisone cream twice a day as well. The biggest key is to keep her from licking it so I would recommend to get an e-collar (the lampshade collar) for her to wear. Also, please know there is a good chance these remedies will not help her hot spot heal. If it isn't improving, I would strongly recommend contacting your vet for an exam and likely some oral antibiotics. I hope she starts to feel better soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Medications like prednisone and Apoquel can help with the itchiness. The underlying allergy still has to be identified and treated. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hello, and thanks for your question about Mya. Allergies are very common in dogs, and they can be frustrating to control! I recommend asking your vet about Cytopoint, which is a monthly injection, and Apoquel, which is a daily pill. These are very effective non-steroid allergy medications that can either be given individually or (in more severe cases) together. For young dogs like Mya, I usually prefer the cytopoint injections, and then add Apoquel if necessary. If the a strict feeding trial with the Royal Canin Ultramino diet didn't help, then her allergies are less likely to be related to food, and are more likely environmental. Of course, also make sure she's kept current on a high quality flea/tick preventative, to make sure an external parasite can't be complicating things! And if a skin scrape has never been done, that may be advised as well - I've had skin mites get misdiagnosed as allergies before! If it comes to it, I've certainly had patients who did best on steroids - and that can be done pretty safely if you're weaning to the lowest effective every-other-day dose. Hopefully this helps! Of course, I'd defer on all points to a vet who has seen Mya in person!

Hi there. In terms of over-the-counter options, you could try bathing her a hydrocortisone "anti-itch" dog shampoo to help relieve the itching. The effects of this are usually pretty temporary, but it's inexpensive and generally safe. If you want something more effective, I would recommend taking her in for a vet visit to find out what's causing the itching and get her started on prescription medication to treat it. If she does have an allergy, there are often simple options like prednisone tablets and/or antibiotics that can be very effective at treating the symptoms. This shouldn't need to be an expensive visit, especially if you let the vet know that you have cost concerns. Costs will vary depending on where you live - but to give you a general idea, in my area, an exam and short course of meds to make her feel better would typically cost less than $100 total.

Do not give any medications to your pet without the advice of your veterinarian. Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. Since your dog has hot spots, she is at risk for a skin infection and requires antibiotics. Your vet can also prescribe a short course of steroids to break the itch cycle then can dispense or recommend an antihistamine to prevent the itchiness from returning. Some antihistamines work better than others in different dogs, so you will need to find the one that works best. A pet approved colloidal oatmeal bath can soothe itchy skin. Use cool water and pat dry after to minimize the itch. Consider adding an essential fatty acid supplement (usually a fish oil) to her diet to promote healthy skin. EFAs may also decrease inflammation. Search www.pet360.com for fish oil supplements. If a diagnosis of allergies is made, your task is to try to determine what she is allergic to and decrease or eliminate it. Discuss food elimination trials, hydrolyzed diets and allergy testing with your vet.

Try to get a Capstar or Comfortis tablet in your local pet shop. This will kill all the fleas that are on her. I doubt Benadryl is strong enough to alleviate the itching. You can also try to bathe her with an anti-itch shampoo. Another alternative is to take her to a pet ER or an out of hours vet near you for an exam and an injection that will make her stop itching. As for fleas, here is how to get rid of them: Unfortunately fleas only hop on the body of your pet when they want to feed, then they hop off again and stay in your pet's environment. So you need to treat all pets in the household as well as the environment (which contains the fleas, their eggs and larvae). Flea treatment:  1) Get some flea medication such as a Flea spray or a spot on from a pet shop or your veterinarian and apply monthly 2) get flea powder, put some in your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your house and furniture and also non-carpeted areas frequently to remove flea larvae and eggs which live off house dust., Dispose of the bag in the trash outside. Hot-wash all the pet's bedding, If you do this diligently for a few months you will get rid of the fleas. Flea products: Spot-ons and/or chews Advantage, Advantix Advantage Multi (Advocate in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Bravecto spot on (ticks as well) - for cats, in tablet form for dogs Simparica, Nexgard Revolution (stronghold in the UK) Tablets: comfortis (will only kill fleas once) Collar: Seresto (ticks as well) House spray: Indorex

Benadryl can be given to dogs to treat allergies but it is always best to check with your vet before giving medications. Since your vet knows your dogs complete medical history, he/she would know if there is a contraindication to giving any medications. Dogs with allergies can also develop secondary bacterial infection that may require an antibiotic, corticosteroid, and/or an anti-histamine to treat. If her signs persist or worsen then she should be seen by a vet to determine the best way to treat. There is also an allergy medication called Apoquel that works very well in controlling allergies in dogs. You could also switch to a completely hypoallergenic diet, like z/d, and see if that helps, too. Bathing her with a medicated dog shampoo, like Epi-Soothe, may also help.