My dog keeps scratching his belly. Can I use human hydrocortisone?

Yes, you can use it, but if you think your dog has an infection I would not recommend using it. I would also not recommend using it for more than a week as this cream can cause thinning of the skin which can result in fragile and broken skin.

I would recommend getting this investigated by your vet before trying over the counter options as these may make diagnosis and successful treatment more difficult. There are many possible causes including mites/mange, skin infections, food sensitivities and allergies and the treatment and management of each are all very different. Bathing with an oatmeal shampoo can help to soothe the area in the meantime

Sometimes an oatmeal-based or antihistamine based shampoo works well for itching. Your pet supply store may also have a leave on lotion that helps.Occasionally we start pets on medication for allergies although your Iyla is somewhat young to start that. Also adding in omega-3 fatty acid's like fish oil supplements help with itching although it can take 2 to 3 weeks to see the full effect. Another option is to talk to your veterinarian about a short course of steroids. Unfortunately steroids are prescription medications and had to be prescribed by your active veterinarian. I am somewhat concerned that your dog could have a bacterial skin infection with the open sores from scratching. If so she may need antibiotics for that to heal.

Poor Oak! This is likely an environmental allergy to something outside. Benadryl is super safe and wont hurt to try but the way it looks it probably wont help much. Since the problem continues to return I would talk to tour vet about trying a long term allergy medicine like apoquel. It is much safer than prednisone long term and has been a game changer for a lot of my allergy dogs. See link below for benadryl dosing if you want to try it first. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/

I wouldn't put steroid cream on it, because this could make it much worse. Hot spots usually have an infection present, which will flourish in the presence of steroids. It appears to be minor based on your description, so you can try a couple of things at home to help this. 1) Wash the area with warm water and a medicated shampoo (can get this at the pet store) once a day. Use a cloth and gently wipe away the scabs. Do not scrub, because it will irritate the skin more. It's OK if all of the scabs do not come off in each washing. 2) Make sure the area is completely dry after washing. You should start seeing good results within a week after starting this. It may take a few weeks before it's completely cleared. If two weeks go by and it's not getting any better, then it's best to have a veterinarian exam it. Also, if it appears to get worse, then it's best to take her the vet for treatment. I hope that helps and this gets cleared up soon.

Poor Abby! I'm sorry to hear that she's so itchy. If her skin problems are allergy-related, it's possible that a cortisone injection might help. Oral steroid tablets such as prednisone, or a daily medication like Apoquel or Atopica would also be reasonable options that may be safer for her. These are all prescription medications, so she will need to see a vet first for an exam. It's also possible that her skin issues are related to some other problem, such as skin mites (mange), a bacterial or fungal skin infection, or even a systemic illness like Cushing's disease or hypothyroidism. In that case, treatment would be very different - so it's important to get a diagnosis first to find out what medication would be best.

Hello. It is safe to use diphenhydramine, an antihistamine, on the skin. Hydrocortisone is a steroid, a much stronger medication, that you really should check with your vet before using on Florence. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.