My dog's horsefly bite is still itchy. What topical treatment helps?

Topical spray based on cortisone can be used. Topical ointment, usually based on steroids and antibiotics, can be used as well. Please discuss these options with your local veterinarian as these medications are only on prescription.

If he scratches and is itchy year round, it could be a food allergy or an indoor allergen. Discuss desensitization injections (allergy shots), hydrolyzed diets, antihistamine use and food elimination trials with your veterinarian. https://www.petcoach.co/article/food-trials-for-allergies-in-pets-what-to-expect https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-is-a-novel-protein-pet-food/ https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/food-allergies/

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Trace. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian if his current allergy treatment protocol is no longer working. Occasionally dogs will need oral antibiotics if the rash is severe enough. Prescription anti-itch medication can provide relief as well. Steroids are a common and inexpensive option, but can cause lots of side effects in the patient. Apoquel is a newer option that works very well with fewer side effects. Cytopoint is an anti-itch injection that is given by the veterinarian. It provides relief for 4-8 weeks. Medicated shampoo or mousse can be used for further control. In the meantime, place an E-collar on him to prevent any further self trauma. You can bath him with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner such as an oatmeal or fatty acid based formula to soothe the skin. I hope this information helps!

Looks like your little lady is giving herself some hot spots there. If there is a hot spot forming under the hair then the best thing to do is to remove the hair and cleanse the area with an antibacterial solution. Some dogs require topical and/or oral antibiotics and other dogs benefit from some steroids to stop the itch. Most hot spots are secondary to underlying allergies (inhaled/environmental, food, or flea). If seasonal environmental is most likely. The best way to help her would be to see your family vet to have the areas addressed topically and so that medications can be prescribed to treat any infection and stop the itch. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Unfortunately Granulex v won't help to resolve the problem. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Poor Max. It sounds like he may have an allergy to the shampoo or an environmental allergy. If you have already tried Benadryl and a sensitive skin shampoo the next step is to get stronger medicaitons through your vet. I would recommend asking your vet about trying a short trial of Apoquel (allergy medication) on Max. You may also want to consider switching flea preventions, especially if the one he is currently on isn't veterinary approved. I highly recommend Bravecto, Nexgard, Simparica or Firstshield (Vectra) for flea prevention. I hope this helps and you can continue the Benadryl (as long as he doesn't have any contraindications to its use- i.e. Heart disease) in the meantime so that he at least has something on board for the itch. Best of luck at the vet and take care.

I would use this medicated mousse on him for a week or so. If no improvement or if he seems worse then get him to your vet for an exam. ( http://www.allivet.com/p-6679-douxo-calm-mousse-for-dogs-and-cats-68-oz.aspx ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.