What shampoos & topical treatments help dog severe itching & hot spots?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. From the pictures it appears that Dune may be dealing with a skin infection. If you are unable to get him in to be seen by the veterinarian, I would recommend the below products, which can all be found online quite easily. Do this for about 3-4 weeks and if there is no improvement, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Dune so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine Combination and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply 2-3 times per day on the affected areas until resolved 3. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules for dogs 4. Essential 6 Spot On by Dermoscent

All of the brands you listed are good shampoos. Duoxo is one of my go to shampoos but many are equivalent. A chlorhexadine/ketoconazole shampoo helps treat yeast and bacteria. The main thing is to lather Sibyl up and allow the lather to soak for 20 minutes or so before rinsing. If needed you can bathe every 2-3 days. I also recommend an oral omega 3 supplement such as Derm Caps. Remember if you use topical flea or heart worm prevention the medicated shampoos will strip it out. I recommend oral preventatives for dogs getting medicated baths. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/nutrition-skin-and-dogs https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pruritus-itching-and-scratching-in-dogs I hope this helps. Thanks for using PetCoach.

I would suggest starting with the following; Hot spot cream on the red crusted areas Bathe as infrequently as you can as the natural oils dogs produce in their skin is washed away with baths Use an e-collar to stop chewing and biting Use a natural, organic and gentle shampoo- Earthbath Oatmeal and Aloe Add a skin health supplement with omega fatty acids and vitamin E Here is a link to suplements are Veterinary tested and approved. I would advise Canine Omega Benefits and Cutaneo TruBenefits. http://www.vrshealth.com/canine-products/?petcoach=1977955 Switch to skin health food by royal canin, Hills science diet or purina pro plan Benadryl has been used in the short term to reduce itching https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ Best of luck and please post any further questions you may have here. We are happy to help.

A lot of skin conditions can look like hot spots, bacterial skin infection, ringworm, even mite infections, and allergies, flea bites and other itchy lesions. each on of these is treated with a different medication or avoidance of allergens, etc. Therefore it is very important to have a correct diagnosis, ie know what is causing the hot spot so the proper treatment can be initiated. I strongly recommend you schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam of the hot spots. Your vet may want to do a skin scraping or a take a swab or brush sample to help determine the cause and then specifically address the problem.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Rover with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get him to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start him on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting him on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

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.

This all depends on the severity and cause. If it’s very mild allergies, a shampoo like Duoxo Calm can help strengthen the skin barrier and decrease itching. (Bathe once to twice weekly during flare ups and try to leave the lather on for 5 minutes if possible.) If there is already a skin infection, hot spot, or it’s a hypersensitivity or flea/tick problem, you’ll need to visit your vet to get the proper treatment. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Aurora!