Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

How to treat a Chihuahua's hotspot with Benadryl & hydrocortisone?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 5 years and 8 months old | 5 lbs

What is an acceptable dosage of Benadryl and Hydrocortisone cream to treat a small hotspot on a 5lb Chihuahua? (Caused by fleas during brief lapse in flea prevention. Flea treatment has been restarted in the last few days.) Prefer not to visit vet right now as we've just spent almost $1200 in vet bills the last 2 months, between our 4 dogs.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on June 5th, 2017

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!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA
Veterinarian
Published on May 22nd, 2018
Yes you can bathe a dog with a hot spot. The area of the hot spot really needs to have the hair shaved away over and around it and the area cleaned with mild soap and rinse well with water. You can use hydrocortisone spray in that area but it may not heal without any antibiotics. You can also give her benadryl twice a day. See link below. If it is an area she can chew, I would put a cone collar on her. If it isn't improving, I would have your vet take a look at her as she may need oral antibiotics and stronger allergy meds to help it heal. I hope this helps!

https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Published on July 29th, 2018
Minor hotspots may be managed at home. Place an e-collar (cone) on Duchess to prevent licking or chewing. This alone may be enough to allow healing. Use a mild antiseptic cleaner to gently clean the area. Dry thoroughly afterwards. An antihistamine can be used to control itching, but you will need to get a safe dose from your veterinarian. More severe hot spots should be treated by your vet. This may involve clipping the area and scrubbing it. Duchess may need antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. It is critical to determine the underlying cause for the hot spots. There may be an allergic component that is causing her to lick or chew one area causing injury and infection.
To get your cat to take his Benadryl, try disguising it in a small portion of canned tuna or a cat food with a strong taste/odor profile. You can also try Pill Pockets to hide medication. If this does not work, ask your vet for information on having the medication compounded and flavored into a palatable form. Most clinics will work with a compounding pharmacy for cases such as this.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Health & Wellness

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

I would start with oral Benadryl twice a day. See link below. There is also a Benadryl spray that you can use if there is a specific area bothering smokey. If this doesn't work, you can try hydrocortisone in small doses but make sure she doesn't lick it off. You can also give her a bath in a calming shampoo like duoxo calm. If she is chewing or licking an area, I also recommend to put a cone collar on her to prevent this. Finally, if this doesn't help, I would have your vet take a look at her. Your vet will be able to prescribe something stronger like apoquel or steroids to control the itch and also see whether she needs any antibiotics or other meds to help her feel better. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has a hotspot. How can I treat and clean it safely at home?

A definite NO on the hydrogen peroxide! 1. It is best to shave the hair around the affected area if at all possible. If you don't have clippers you can use scissors to shorten the hair - just be careful you don't cut him. If you can't shave or trim the hair don't stress too much about it. 2. You can clean and treat all in one step with these medicated pads. Twice a day. ( https://www.chewy.com/pet-md-chlorhexidine-antiseptic-dog/dp/146635 ) 3. If he is really itching you can also apply this topical hydrocortisone spray after the wound is dry from the using the pads. Once a day should be enough. ( https://www.chewy.com/zymox-enzymatic-topical-spray/dp/125742 ) If no improvement after about 5-7 days then you should have your vet check him out. Sometimes oral antibiotics are needed to clear these up if they are bad enough. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My dog has a hot spot after flea treatment, what should I do?

Thank you for sending the additional information to our customer service email address! Yes, I agree with your suspicion that Kona likely has a hot spot. You can try to manage this area by first clipping the fur from the the affected area, as air flow to the area is important. Antiseptic sprays, like Vetericyn (https://vetericyn.com/product/vetericyn-plus-all-animal-wound-and-skin-care/?attribute_size=3oz), can work wonders when used a few times per day. One of the most important aspects of hot spot treatment is to prevent Kona from licking at this area. It may involve some tough love, but keep an e-collar (cone) on her until this area has fully resolved. Most hot spots show pretty significant improvement within a week or so. However, if it isn't improving in a week or gets worse at any point, Kona will need to visit her vet. While most hot spots can be treated with topical treatments, like the Vetericyn spray, some require courses of antibiotics and steroids. I hope this helps and that she's on the mend soon!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

My chihuahua coughed, now has an oozing neck hot spot. What's wrong?

I am sorry to hear about Lil Bit. It sounds like she has several different problems going on and I would recommend bringing her in to the vet for an exam. If she has a bad hot spot, often we need to prescribe systemic antibiotic and steroid or anti-inflammatory medication to get it under control, in addition to clipping and cleaning the area. They can also check to ensure she does not have an underlying respiratory or heart issue that could have caused her coughing.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog is still itching. Can he take Benadryl daily for hot spots?

He can take benadryl daily, but it is not going to solve the problem and it's not likely to help. anti histamines does not usually work well on dogs, he will need other prescription meds in order to get it resolved.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My cat has a hot spot. Can I safely use Benadryl cream on it?

This is not likely to cause a problem, but not ideal either. Topical Benadryl is not very effective in dogs and cats, and of course cats notoriously lick off whatever you put on them. Consider using [Zymox spray](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-spray-with-5-hydrocortisone). You can pick it up from the local Petco. Place an e-collar (cone) on him/her for a couple of days. If the spot isn't improving after 3-4 days, have your cat evaluated by a veterinarian. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My dog has a hot spot. What are safe pet store treatment options?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Based on the picture, it does appear that this could be a hot spot. I typically recommend using products that soothe and treat infection. What I would recommend would be Well & Good Hydrocortisone spray (at Petco) and Miconahex + Triz spray and apply both of these twice daily until resolved. If there is no improvement within 7 days, I would recommend taking your dog in to be seen by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share