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Natural Remedies for Hot Spots in Pets

| Modified on Aug 22, 2024
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The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Vegetable Oil
Posted by Tom Knight (Tamarindo, Costa Rica) on 01/31/2009
 ★★★★★

Cheap, 100% Cure for Mange/Fleas

The following is a copy of email recently sent to the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine and the American Veterinary Association.

I filled out the form on your website. I could not copy the below email and paste it into your "comments" window...so here it is if you want to use it. I think it is important as it is a simple cure that I have now found sucessful on another dog other than mine also.

Hello to all my Vet friends,

When all else fails.....!!!

I came upon this purely by accident. This cure will not make you any money, but it sure will make you lots of friends with your clients.

I am no casual pet owner. I have shown, field trialed and hunted champion German Shorthair Pointers for 45 years, plus being owned by an assortment of mixed breeds, cats and an assortment of other exotic critters. In the 1970's I was one of the first to breed large falcons in captivity.

My present dog, a mixed breed, short-haired medium-sized (Tamarindo Purebred...) had severe skin problems since he was around nine months old. His full brother/litter-mate is neighbor and enjoys the same, virtually identical environment, so I know the dog's living situation was not the problem.

He developed a severe rash on his "hot spot." To which he continually chewed, and then started chewing his tail to the point of its having no hair at all, and other parts of his rear anatomy. He had a severe flea problem. End result was a neurotic dog with no hair on his tail and rump, constantly chewing and biting himself there and other parts of his body. He was loosing skin in nasty dried chunks and flakes like a huge case of human dandruff. I tried several local vets who provided a variety of creams, soaps and lotions. None worked. I tried human skin products from the local pharmacies. None worked...after considerable financial expenditure. His neighbor brother remained unaffected. I was seriously considering putting him down.

Then, I remembered that when I applied vegetable oil on my sunburn (I now live in the very hot and dry tropics of NW Costa Rica) it immediately soothed it and no peeling of my skin occurred. I tanned nicely, despite the severe sunburn.

So, I looked around the house and found a 1-inch paint brush I had been using for a "meat baster" in the kitchen. I also found a stiff laundry brush. I then brushed him from back to rump and gently on tail to remove loose skin. Then I put some cheap cooking oil in a small plastic tub. Using the paint brush, I gently massaged the oil onto the affected parts.

He immediately stopped biting himself. Within a day, I could see the redness in the skin start to dissipate. I continued bathing him with a flea/tick soap.

Soon, the redness disappeared altogether. I continued this treatment nightly. Within a week the amount of dead skin started to ease up. New hair started to appear. I also scrubbed oil (with the soft paint brush) into the hair and skin in all areas where I saw fleas...mostly under the tail around the lower rump. Within a couple hours, there is no oily feel to the hair...it has been absorbed by then into the skin.

Today, just over a month of daily treatment, all his hair is back. His tail now does not look like a rat's. He is completely flea free. He chews no more and his coat is glossy. He was also very skinny. Now, he has put on many pounds and is in the pink of health.

My Conclusion: I think the veggie oil acted as a systemic. It penetrated the skin and suffocated the mites under it that were eating the hair follicles and roots. It also did the same for his skin as it did for mine. The oil also suffocated the fleas to the point they now no longer exist.

Correct me if I am wrong. I would love any input. I thought this treatment was of significant importance that you folks should know. Maybe you do already. However, try this next time on one of your client's dog.

This experience might make a useful entry for your newsletter.

Regards,

Tom Knight
Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil
Posted by Fan (Pasadena, Ca) on 07/09/2011
 ★★★★★

As soon as the weather warmed up, my dog developed a large red spot on his back around his tail area. It was very painful. I cut the hair away, washed the area with half water half Apple Cider Vinegar and oil of lavender. It DID NOT burn or sting him, in fact I could tell it felt good. In one day all redness was gone and two days later it was scabbed over and not bothering him at all. I put this on him 2x per day and it resolved the problem. I also started giving him a spoon of coconut oil everyday with his food. It helps keep his skin and hair moist. Whenever I forget to give him the coconut oil, his skin gets very dry and he starts itching like crazy. It really helps to prevent skin issues when given regularly. It should be cold pressed coconut oil.

Black Tea
Posted by Carol (Hanmer, Ontario, Canada) on 11/20/2008
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

My German Shepherd suffered from hot spots. I was constantly shaving the areas, washing with disinfectant and applying solutions.

Then I heard about using black tea in a way that made the shaving, washing and applying anything else completely unecessary. It had the added benefit of reducing the number of hot spots until he was completely free of them.

It is very important to follow this exactly. Boil about two cups of water and add 10 black tea bags. As it steeps gently squeeze the bags with a spoon. Allow it to cool to until it's just SLIGHTLY warm to the touch and then pour it generously over the affected area so that it soaks through the hairs.

I have no idea why but this brew of tea becomes ineffective if it's too warm or after it cools completely, so if you have any left over just throw it out. Each application has to be made fresh.

It provides immediate relief for your dog, heals rapidly, no discomfort, no exposed bald spot to grow in, and it's cheap and easy to do.

The sooner you begin to treat the hot spot the faster it will heal, so even if you just suspect a hot spot treat it right away. It's cheap and does no harm even if you end up treating a simple itch.

At first you may have to repeat this twice a day for a few days but with any subsequent hot spots it works faster. My dog's hot spots began to dwindle until he was free of getting them completely.

Hydrogen Peroxide and Borax
Posted by Anne (Finger Lakes, New York) on 03/24/2015
 ★★★★★

Om is right. We tried everything on our Bulldog. The only thing that worked was a diluted Hydrogen Peroxide and borax mixture that we spray on. After months of agony, this remedy gave improvement overnight and cleared up his skin completely in about a week. The recipe is:

1 part 3% Hydrogen Peroxide, 2 Parts water, add 50 mule Borax until solution is cloudy (i.e. no more granules will dissolve). Apply with a wet cloth to thoroughly soak affected area. Later you can use a spray a few times a day.

Gold Bond Powder
Posted by Sb (Simcoe, Canada ) on 05/11/2013
 ★★★★★

We have a 2 year old Newfoundland Dog , with the nice warm weather she has been swimming 5/7 days this week, the other night she was acting out of sorts so I was taking her collar off and a horrible smell came out from under it, she had developered a large hot spot along the collar line of her neck. I went out and got tinactin and gold bond powder on suggestion from this site. Her hair was so thick I kinda just massaged it into her chest best I could, this relieved the pain.. Next morning got her shaved under the neck at the groomers so I could actually see it, it was enormous, not broken skin but very red irritated and gooey in some spots. We have been giving her 3 Benadryl a day and applying the powder 2-3x a day and she's like a new dog, its clearing up and we are on day 2. Tinactin works well too but the spray sound scared her too much.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Epsom Salt
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 12/13/2008 490 posts
 ★★★★★

Suggestion for all those dogs (or any other animals) with hot spots:

Have any of you ever tried a saturated solution of epsom salts in apple cider vinegar to swab out those hot spots? Epsom salts has both healing and drying properties and the apple cider vinegar will even cure impetigo which is caused by streptococcus!

Just dissolve epsom salts(2 lb box for $1 at Deals or Dollar Trees) in Heinz ACV (about $2 gallon at Save-a-Lot) until no more will dissolve and swab those hot spots out about 4 times a day. I am sure that neither ES or ACV will harm your dog.

Black Tea
Posted by Steve (Plymouth, Mn) on 07/29/2015
 ★★★★★

My Golden Ret. had a hot spot that grew to almost half of his face in two days. I never heard of the TEA BAG treatment but thought I would give it a try. I started on a Thurs. evening and by Sat. morning the sores were dried up. This was the fastest treatment I have seen. I have had dogs with hot spots for many years. I would recommend this to anyone.

ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Uli (Albany, Indiana) on 12/03/2007
 ★★★★★

Hi everybody, thank you for this wonderful website. I tryed the ACV and Omega 3 on my German Shepard Heidi. She had a very bad Hotspot and is also allergic to Fleas. Been using it for three days now and the Hotspot is dry and hair is already growing back. The allergy seems to slowly go away also. I still have to give her a bath. I will try the babybath, I'm afraid the dawn dishsoap will dry her out some more. She is still scratching but not as often as she did. Hope in a few days it will all be over. If anybody has any more ideas I could try, please let me know. Thanks again U

ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Kevin (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA) on 11/21/2009

Hi, I was wondering about the ACV and omega-3 treatment. Do you have to make the dog drink it, or use it in a spray bottle, or what? My German-Shepherd Maggie has been itching eversince she became spayed. We've tried everything from non-allergen food to giving her baths almost every bi-weekly.

ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Jayne (Mugla, Turkey) on 07/10/2010

What a good website very informative. I was very weary about treating hot spots. I live in Turkey and I have 3 street dogs but only 1 as this condition. I thought it might be stress due to him being bullied by 1 of my older dogs. What do you think? I will try the acv treatment, hope it works.

ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Sierrahennessy (Fairfax, Va) on 10/01/2011

Hot spots with stink sounds like you may have yeast. A vet can confirm with a simple skin scraping. If yes, you've got a long road ahead of you. If no, look for allergies, or times of year the problem worsens or improves.

ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Diamond (Salisbury, Usa) on 10/02/2011

I wouldn't take my pet to another vet especially as minor as suspected hot spots(?)And Yes hot spots do smell. I have yet to see, know or hear of any pet coming out with less than what they went in for. I use a safe remedy for hot spots. Disolve 2 adult asperins in 2-4 tbls. rubbing alcohol-soak any type tea bag- mix all ingredients together, apply to the spot(s) as often as you can.

It takes time but better then a million dollar issue vets. may have created for you & the pet.

Try her on a rich but fat free diet.

http://www.rawlearning.com/worming.html

here is some great info. good luck & god bless.

Colloidal Silver and Comfrey Salve
Posted by Meg (Kentucky) on 05/31/2024
 ★★★★★

I have a large German Shepherd grandpup that I hike with. When I picked her up she had a terrible hot spot. It had started to bleed. I put colloidal silver on it with a cotton pad for about 20 seconds, at the most. I let it dry and added comfrey salve. The next time I picked her up it was almost completely healed with hair growing back. I asked my grandson if anyone put anything else on it and he said no. So, one application of colloidal silver and comfrey salve did the trick.

Colloidal Silver
Posted by Katzie (Cancun, Mexico ) on 11/19/2023

Licking the bottom of yogurt cups would not overdose your dog on sugar (but what about you?). At any rate, D.E. would not help with losing fat. Its beneficial for any pet, but not for weight loss, unless the bloating is due to worms or other parasite. On a side note, a local very chubby dog nearby has been following my 2 rescues on our walks once per day, and I swear, within 4 days she really trimmed up! I couldn't believe how much weight she lost in only 4 days in 1/2hr walks!

Lavender Oil
Posted by Tara (Baton Rouge, La) on 05/27/2016
 ★★★★★

We have a 10 year old Beagle/Bassett hound mix, and he gets a few hot spots every year. Recently I tried mixing approximately a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil with 5 or 6 drops of lavender essential oil (lavandula angustifolia) and rubbing it on the spot. It disappeared within a few days. The hot spots have been so stubborn in the past, so this felt like a miracle. Hooray!

Apple Cider Vinegar, DMSO
Posted by Xanadu1jw (Memphis, Tn) on 11/17/2012
 ★★★★★

For hot spots I recently read something about DMSO curing them so I mixed up a solution of 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (with the mother), and a scant 1/2 cup 99.9% pure DMSO I got from the county coop (I've also seen it in horse supply shops). I used a small spray bottle to apply it to the hot spots that had my little beagle acting like he was 90 years old, using the bottom of the bottle to brush the hair forward and expose the spot better and then using the same bottom to rub the solution into the skin. He doesnt like the process and immediately tries to lick it off but this old dog is now acting like an energetic happy puppy again. I try to distract him with a few treats or walking after treating him so the solution has a chance to soak in. I apply it three times a day and in four days after starting he already has hair growing back into the area again.

I believe this solution would work for a cat also in that all of the ingredients have been used on cats with benefit whereas many natural products can harm a cat since their liver can't process some things like a human or dog can. DMSO doesn't smell good but is preferable to watching your dog/cat suffer and/or spending lots of money on ineffective things from the vet and the scent doesn't last all that long.

Gold Bond Powder
Posted by Jj (Canada) on 04/16/2014

Sue, were you worried about your dog licking the gold bond? Thanks

Gold Bond Powder
Posted by Jill (Brinnon, Wa) on 08/21/2012
 ★★★★★

My 6 year old Aussie/heeler had started scratching one evening and by the next morning had raw underarm pits. Little red patches were springing up. Maybe 4 of them. I put 1%hydrocortisone cream on her underarms then a sprinkling of the Green label gold bond powder. I then put one of my tshirts on her and took it up at the waist( held it in place with some duct tape) so she couldn't get her foot up under it. Make sure the tshirt isn't rubbing under the arms. This kept her from licking or scratching the armpits. After 2 days of applying this 3 times a day her armpits look normal. She has added Omega oil caps to diet.

Colloidal Silver
Posted by Jean (Williamsville, Ny, Usa) on 04/19/2012
 ★★★★★

My yorkie developed a 1/2" hot spot on top of his head. I used rubbing alcohol with aloe vera. As it was slowly healing, other spots were bubbling and opening. Out of nowhere a 2" sore opened on his jowel and he intensely itched it with his nails. I clipped the hair around it for easier healing. For 3 days I treated it and it was looking worse each day. I had previously ordered colloidal silver through the Jim Bakker Show on TV. The main company carries it, too, through the internet only. It arrived. I used the rubbing alcohol to cleanse and Silver Sol gel on top. There was NO SCRATCHING, at all, ever. It took the inflamation and the itch away as it killed the germs and promoted healing. It was healed completely in 4 days. The other smaller areas healed quickly, also. No more hot spots broke out. Hot Spots can have an underlaying staph infection that travels around under the skin. (I believe I read that apple cider vinegar kills staph germs, also). Colloidal silver kills staph germs, viral, and fungal... It says it is FDA approved and can be used for pink eye infections and other stuff. It works well with vet's antibiotics. I'm not selling it, but I am sold on it.

Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Angela (Birmingham, Al) on 04/12/2011
 ★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

My 5 year old Shitzhu recently began itching and biting at her fur to the point some of it was coming out. After researching some possible remedies, I treated her hot spots and irritation with Tea Tree Oil. Luckily, my dog is also like my shadow and she always has my attention. Within 6 hours of treating her with Tea Tree Oil (applied with a Cotton ball) I noticed she was not herself, she was not as energetic, did not want to use her back legs, did not use the bathroom, etc.

I immediately took her to the vet where I was informed that Tea Tree Oil is poisonous to dogs. Depending on the size/weight it can also be fatal. Thankfully, she is ok, but she received a round of fluids and charcoal pills to absorb the poison along with 6 baths to get the remaining oil off of her skin. Please see this as a warning. I would not want this to happen to anyone else and I am happy that she just received a small dose. TEA TREE OIL IS POISONOUS TO DOGS!!! Good luck and God Bless. Angela from Alabama

Tea Tree Oil
Posted by Big Tuna (Park Ridge, Llinois, Usa) on 06/29/2010
 ★★★★★

My dog would get a hot spot(licking & biting on a spot) on her paws every summer. The Vet thought it was an allergy & gave us some ointment to apply. We also gave her Benadryl. Well after half a tube of ointment was applied over the course of a week we saw no results. She still had no fur & the skin was red & raw looking. We had been using Tea Tree Oil on ourselves for various cuts, scrapes & insect bites & I thought that it might help my dog. We could see that she was miserable & constantly at her paw. I applied 1 drop to her affected area & rubbed it in gently. At first she wanted to lick her paw, but I stopped her. It is not safe for humans to ingest the oil & I won't give my dog anything I can't eat myself. Well, in just a few minutes my dog fell asleep! Remarkable. When she woke up, she didn't even look at her paw. In a weeks time the skin was healed & I could see her fur starting to poke up through the skin. We continued to apply the oil once a day until the fur was again covering her paw.

From then on when we would see her at her paw or some other spot we applied the oil & told the Vet to stuff the $35.00 tube of ointment.

Big Tuna

Aloe Vera
Posted by Gina (Houston, Texas) on 05/29/2010
 ★★★★★

Hello. I have a akita-chow mix.She had horrible hot spots from fleas. We got fleas in control. Since I am a plant lover, I have lots of aloe vera, and I thought since that stuff is great for human skin,why not animals .So I tore off a leaf, cut it open with a knife, and rubbed the gel from the aloe on her hot spots. I did this every day. By the third day, I noticed she wasnt licking them any more and there was peach fuzz growing in where there wasnt any fur! I only needed to do it for a week. All gone!


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