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.
Antibiotics, Shaved Fur
Posted by Pam (Sioux Falls, Sd) on 10/19/2009
★☆☆☆☆
Hotspot Absurd: I'll tell you what DOESN'T work! I've kept my 5-yr Papillon in bed, WITH ME! for 7 weeks. I have been able to talk her out of biting/scratching every time she does it, but, guess what? The minute "we" got out of bed, she'd start again and I became distraught, medicating her with human's stuff (couldn't get to vet.
NOW, if I don't let her sit on me all the time she just starts biting and I crumble. I got her to the groomer and she shaved her to the pink body skin but knew nothing to do either. (previously the vet knew nothing except antibiotics!!)
Needless to say, she's traumatized by the shaving and every time I go near the medicine she starts to vibrate like many chihuahuas do and she looks like a Mexican hairless so what a misery I've allowed to develop due to ignorance of options and of this site. Thank you thank you.
Schreiner's Solution
Posted by Janice (Coloma, Mi) on 10/13/2009
Thanks Jamie from Campbell, Ca. I checked out the Schreiner's on-line and it looks like really good stuff. Do you buy the one for horses? I see they have one for dogs also. My black lab (mix) has a problem with yeast and she is sore around her mouth and her vulva area. She licks and I see the Schreiner's is all natural...Love that. Anyway, I'm hoping that maybe this will work for her.
Gold Bond Powder
Posted by Mary (Springfield, MO) on 06/19/2009
The GREEN bottle. Works Wonders, and Caladril CLEAR only. Absolute. Even for ears, very lightly with tissue. Been trying all for years.
Vegetable Oil
Posted by Shane (Asheville, North Carolina) on 02/19/2009
★★★★★
I am trying the vegetable oil for hot spots remedy that I found on your site for my dog who has 3 hot spots on his hind legs. It appears to be working. To help get rid of the infection (possibly staph) today I added 6 drops of povidone iodine to the oil because of the smell of infection (my other dog keeps sniffing the newest/latest hot spot in concern, that's how I know). I mixed the iodine with meat baster brush into the oil really well, then applied the mixture to each hot spot with the brush. I think adding the povidone makes a difference. My dog was licking his newest hot spot obsessively all day, but then stopped after I applied the oil with the iodine. I also take him for a walk after applying the oil to give it time to soak in. I also run the meat baster brush under extremely hot water to sterilize it after each use.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Epsom Salt
Posted by Yogi (Melbourne, Australia) on 07/17/2009
★★★★★
My chow chow developed a hot spot near his tail that grew alarmingly fast. I tried 50% water 50% apple cider vinegar plus a tablesspoon of epson salts and his spot dried up in 2 days. Thank you for this solution. It worked a lot faster than vet prescribed medication! It was a lot cheaper. And there was no cream to get all over the furniture.
ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Karen (Deltona, Fl) on 09/19/2011
Hi,
I too have a German Shepard that gets hotspots and itchy skin. I would love to know more about the ACV and omega-3 treatment. Do we apply it externally or should my dog ingest it? Thank you all for contributing your info. I am going to put what we have done incase it helps someone else
I purchased Neem "protect" spray and the shampoo made by Ark Naturals ( got this at my local health food and medicine store "Debbies") Anyway the spray is AMAZING, the shampoo is good because it is gental and recommeded to use every so often because it works to cleanse the dogs hair and skin of anything that could cause skin issues. I have used the spray and not washed with the shampoo, using reg dog gentle shampoo and the results are still good. Except not this last time, she ended up getting hotspots and now she has a major one that just today has gotten as big as a tennis ball. Which brought me to this site.
I didn't know what to do when I came home and saw that where ever Sahara was laying she left a tiny bit of blood from right where the hotspot would have hit the floor. So I felt I had to act quick, I first rinsed the sore area with water using a water sports bottle, then I took some perioxide and lightly squirted it on the area while comforting Sahara and not letting her lick it, patted with paper towel and repeated process 2 more times. Then I cut her hair on and around the area back and applied 100% aloe vera from the bottle. After about 20 minutes I then applied a bandaid (one we would use on our knee) And this all seems to have really relieved her and now she can't keep biting at the spot because the bandaid stops her. When I remove the banaid I plan to do so buy cutting it out of her hair, I wouldn't want to pull her hair out and and hurt her.
Thanks again:)
ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Keleeemo (Dover, Nh, Usa) on 08/20/2012
I find hot spots on my Boston Terrier when she eats something she is allergic to like wheat or change something in her diet. I learned one thing and that is do not feed dogs with allergies grocery store dog foods or cheap treats. They contain wheat and fillers that make her allergic and then the hot spots appear. She does well on wheat free kibble. You can find better dog foods at Petco or pet stores. I have to be careful with treats too because many of them are made of fillers. When she gets a hot spot I bathe her with oatmeal dog shampoo every couple of days and keep the hot spot clean by washing it daily with betadine solution and then applying cortisone cream 1 or 2 percent. That and cutting back her diet to just her wheat free dog food will usually will take care of the hot spot. I bought some hot spot spray at Petco for hot spots that had tea tree oil in it and that helped but not as well as hydrocortisone cream. For the itching I use some anti itch lotion that has pramoxine and zinc acetate along with oil of rosemary and oil of lavender. It smells a lot like calamine, poison ivy cream and does take away the itching and scratching. If the area has an odor then it is infected and I would cleanse the area with antibacterial soap followed an oatmeal shampoo. Then dry area and put on an antibiotic cream and some Gold Bond foot powder in case it is yeast. It will clear up and you don't need a vet because they will just treat it with an antibiotics and over charge you. Try and find a good dog food at dogfoodadvisor.com. They have some good articles about what goes into grocery store pet foods which shocked me to learn. They rate them by 1-5 stars according to their ingredients. It is well worth the money buying Organic dog food if it keeps us out of the vets office!
Lavender Oil
Posted by Fenimore (UK) on 05/29/2024
★★★★★
Coconut oil w/ Lavender for dog hotspots
Last week my beloved 7 year old Bichon suddenly developed a painful hot spot on his back haunch. I was very concerned as we had been through hot spot horrors before with our previous Bichon, Thisbe. I read testimony after testimony here on Earthclinic. First I tried the ACV diluted half and half with water. It did immediately seem to relieve the pain and itching. He stopped scratching himself. But after three days the sore was still weeping and actually hot. Also his entire backside was now the light brown colour of ACV...not a good look. I tried a saline and hypochlorous spray from Amazon. Again it did seem to help a little. But again the spot was still active and troubling. THEN I found the testimony by Tara of Baton Rouge. https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/hot_spots3.html#lavenderoil
She recommended 5-6 drops of Lavender essential oil added to 1 tbsp of coconut oil.I heated it and added a little bit of extra virgin olive oil to keep it liquid and mixed it, then applied it. Florrie was completely comfortable with it unlike the sprays I had been subjecting him to. It smells lovely. Within a few hours (!!!) the angry red patch was mostly pale pink with only a central small circle of bright red. It was no longer hot but cool to the touch. 24 hours later and the sore is gone. Only a bit of scab on pale pink skin is left!! He is happy and comfortable. I am so amazed and grateful to Tara and Earthclinic! to have found this easy, painless, FAST, zero side-effects resolution to an awful problem is just so wonderful. I wish everyone whose pet suffers with this problem would try this. It's the best solution ever.
Colloidal Silver
Posted by John (USA) on 11/05/2023
★★★★☆
Colloidal Silver 20ppm for Canine Hot Spots
For our pup's hot spots I put some Colloidal Silver (20ppm) in a spray bottle, and sprayed it on the sore. My poor husky did not like it at first, but she settled down right afterwards. I noticed it scabbed over the very next day!
The first time she had a hot spot, we took her promptly to the vet. They treated her and had her on some meds for a while. Hundreds of dollars later, it seemed to go away...until the next season change, and then all over again. This last time is when I used the one time spray of CS. I can not say the CS cured her, but I would not hesitate to do it again. I guess we will see when the weather warms back up again.
I was thinking that the hot spots could have potentially been caused by bug bites/poison. The pups love to lay under our back deck for the shade, so I got under there and cleaned/brushed the rafters. Raked it all out, and put down some outdoor rug pieces to cover ground. They still seem to want to lay in the few uncovered parts though ;)
I also wondered if it could be from ingesting sugars. You see, I used to let her "clean up" my yogurt cups before discarding. I now see that could be a source of sugar, so only canine-specific treats from here on. We are paying more attention to listed ingredients now. She gets about 2 tsp of coconut oil, and glucosamine chews daily.
I have noticed she is starting to get a little rotund around the mid section. I am wondering if a regiment of DE/(some others) could be beneficial for jump starting her metabolism to start burning some of the excess?
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Mon (Atherton, Qld Australia) on 05/31/2013
★★★★★
I don't know where my 18 month old mastador got hotspots from but they spread up his back, side flank & leg within hours. The vet advised an antibacterial shampoo & if that didn't work then it was antibiotic & steroid time which I refused to do!!
The shampoo didn't get rid of the hotspots but stopped the spreading with 3 baths a week, so with research on the net I did my own treatment consisting of:
- probiotic capsule x 1 time per day
- 1 tblspn organic coconut oil x 1 time per day
- 1 tblspn organic plain yogurt x 1 time per day
- 1 meal of freshly cooked wild spanish mackeral & atlantic salmon with fresh garlic (small amount) cooked thru fish. I tried him on fish oil but he kept throwing it up or not eating the food it was in. I did find he preferred the fish over any other meat or bones. I also took him off all raw chicken.
- grain free dry food x 1 time per day
- I also sprayed diluted raw apple cidar vinegar onto spots in morning & rubbed organic coconut oil in at night for about 2 weeks then stopped.
It took six to eight weeks mainly thru his diet change before I noticed the spots gone except for 1 spot, & hair grown back & black skin gone.
I know that the fish would cost quite a bit but I own a cafe & used the scraps for him, so maybe ask a local restaurant or fishmonger if they have any offcuts availabale that they normally throw out.
Gold Bond Powder
Posted by Richard (Scottville, Michigan) on 09/15/2015
★☆☆☆☆
Apple Cider Vinegar, DMSO
Posted by Chat (Phila) on 01/30/2016
DMSO is a strong solvent, and whatever it dissolves will pass directly through your dog's skin. I for one would not use DMSO on my dog.
Aloe Vera
Posted by Sallie (Brisbane, Qld Aust) on 10/21/2012
★★★★★
My poodle is constantly getting hot spots from my other dog licking and giving him love bites!
I wash the hot spot with salt water, dry it with paper towel, clip all the hair around it and then use aloe leaf (I slice both sides off the leaf, just leaving a Little bit of aloe jelly on the leaf and rub that on him) he finds it very soothing.
The hot spots clear up around 3-5 days
But after reading the posts on Apple Cider Vinegar I'm going to try that also, he has a new one now.
Lavender Oil
Posted by Pat (Hadley, Massachusetts,usa) on 12/03/2011
★★★★★
On hot spots, burns, etc. I have mixed a couple of drops of lavender essential oil w/ a cup of water, sprayed it on, and in a few days it heals...
Aloe Vera
Posted by Jacky (St. George's, Grenada) on 02/20/2012
★★★★★
I do the same for my German Shepherd's hot spots, Wonderful plant.
Antibiotic Ointment
Posted by Jo (Fredericksburg, Va) on 01/01/2010
★★★★★
We have a Siberian Husky that frequently gets hot spots, not always able to afford vet. We have found that antibotic ointment (we use the generic brands) applied liberly several time a day (only because she licks it off) works really well. She normally gets a black spot in her fur when it grows back but with using this she does not even get that.
Sea Water
Posted by Trisha (Waterford, Ireland) on 11/04/2009
★★★★★
Hi All,
I have British Bulldogs and one of them started geting what I found out to be hot spots... I was horrified...I brought her to the vet, she was diagnosed and given various medication...it seemed to be taking ages to clear, then I got some sea water and applied it 2ce daily, within a few days it cleared up......then out of the blue a few months later I noticed one behind her ear,about 3 inches long 2 inches wide...I went to the sea straight away and got a bottle of sea water, I applied it to the area 2ce daily and in three days it had completely dried up, and within a week you would barely see any sign of it..No vet visit required and No vet bills...Hope this is of help..The main thing is to catch it asap and treat it by dabbing the sea water to the area, no need for shaving,clipping etc..Sea water is Magic!!
Aloe Vera
Posted by Rox Rub (Sylmar, CA) on 07/30/2009
My dog has a couple of hot spots and I was told to use Aloe Vera Gel directly from the plant which is very healing and helps to dry out the hot spots fast. Is this good to use?
Light Weight Coat
Posted by Lucrec (Wantagh, New York) on 07/26/2009
★★★★☆
I just came across this site so I haven't tried the ACV or any of the other natural remedies yet. Max, a 6 year old mini schnauzer is really suffering, so I will try this immediately. But what does seem to help, which is strange is a coat. I put a light weight jersey coat on him and for some reason he stops licking the hot spots. I know they cannot heal just because of the coat, but it does provide him relief and he doesn't have to wear a collar which has to be so frustrating to an itchy animal.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide
Posted by Jewishmom (Casselberry, Florida) on 06/25/2009
★★★★★
My Silky terrior has suffered from terrible hot spots, including bleeding and terrible crying. I've brought her to the vet and put her on antibiotis, anti-hystimans, and cortozine cream,and special shampoo, and she would get better, for a while, only to get hot spots again. This particular time, I looked up home remedies and found your info on acv, and thought I would try it. The crying of Madison was so bad, I had to shut my bedroom door, I knew she was in pain. Well I tried the mixture of acv and h20 and of course she yelped,. because it was all open. She yelped for maybe five minutes and now, nothing. Only healing. The first application hurt her, but after that it was a breeze, and three minutes of crying, certainly beats twenty four hours a day(and that was what it was). I am spraying her twice a day now, and she doesn't think of licking it. First dose cured that. Thanks.. Hopefully we'll keep it under control with daily sprays.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Vet Meds
Posted by MaryKay (Savannah, Georgia) on 06/07/2009
★★★★★
Just wanted to responed to your site and give update on the info I used for my toy poodles Hotspots. She had 3 each, 1 on neck, 1 on paw, and 1 on leg. Well I tried the 1/2 cup of ACV and 1/2 water mixture on all 3 spots. The 1 on the neck started scabing over and healing within about 3 days, the ACV worked well. However the ones on the foot and feet could not due to she would continue to lick. I tried using the cone around her neck, however she was still able to lick the spots,the cones are mainley used so they can't scratch around their heads/necks. So I tried the Acv and also Witch Hazel, also Gold bond powder, but she kept licking when not watched. In order for them to heal correctly you have to stop them from licking. So bottom line was, I took her to my vet due to it had been 2 weeks of working on the paw and leg. There is a shot which cost abot $15.00 and pills they can give that cost about $10.00 that will help the inch and irritation and eventually heal the Hot spots, however if you have female that is pregnant then they can not be perscribed, but they do have a cream that cost about $15.00 in that it has really helped with mine, its called Quadritop Ointment. No more licking and starting to heal. So if nothing else works take your pet to the vet. The remedies that people have posted are really good for some but not for all, exspecially if your dog continues to lick the spots. Also hotspots are caused mainly by either skin eritation, insect bite or Flee bite, so insure you get some kind of Flea protection for your pet. Hope this helps.
Vegetable Oil
Posted by Tom Knight (Tamarindo, Costa Rica) on 03/25/2009
FYI...Up date on the mange cure.
I still have some skin flaking off on his "hotspot", but regular application with the veggie oil keeps it in check. No more fleas or ticks though...or any raw, ugly skit patches...and he doesn't scratch or bite the dry spot. I can live with it....and so can my dog.
Cheers
Tom Knight
Tamarindo, Costa Rica
Apple Cider Vinegar, Epsom Salt
Posted by Colleen (Durban, South Africa) on 05/22/2011
I have a staffie who suffers badly from hot spots. We have done the vet route countless times and spent huge amounts of money on him, only to have the hot spots return.
I was given a home remedy that definitely stops the itching and helps soothe him down almost immediately. I only need to apply it for a couple of days and the inflammation and oozing stops.
A tub of aqueous cream, a tube of Mycota foot cream, and a box of powdered flowers of sulphur. I mix half of each of the ingredients as I was not given the ratio for the mix. Tee cream is very cheap, and lasts for ages. Now when he sees us with the tub he comes and sits in front of us with his back turned so that we can put on his magic medicine :-)
Black Tea
Posted by Margaret (Knoxvillt, Tn) on 06/14/2011
★★★★★
This is an amazing treatment for hot spots. I have an 11 year old beagle who is just recovering from major hip surgery. It's been sweltering in Tennessee and she has developed some hot spots near her tail and the skin on her belly became quite inflamed as well. I read the black tea post and tried it. I steeped two black tea bags in hot water and let it cool to just over room temperature with the bags still in. I used the bags as applicators and really drenched the affected areas with the warm tea. She calmed immediately - this is the first treatment I've used that did not burn. I had tried ACV in the past and while it worked beautifully, it burned. I noticed drying after the first application. I've done this twice a day for four days and she is almost healed. I've also given her one lower body bath in warm water and raw oats. I put a handful of the oats in the toe of a sock and held it under the faucet as I filled the bath, squeezing as it filled. The oat bath just put it over the top - the real healer is the black tea. Thank you so much for this post.
ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Y (Cincinnati, Oh) on 07/11/2011
what is Apple Cider Vinegar and omega 3 treatment for my dog hot spot, where do I get it?
ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Shelby (Upland, Ca) on 08/18/2011
I love the products from Vitality science dot com and have seen an improvement. They too suggests tea bags for immediate treatment and they have a noni lotion that can go on the site after the tea bags. Its ok for the dog to ingest it as well. I have worked super hard at keeping two of my dogs skin problems at bay. I use Serra pro (enzyme) to decrease inflammation as well as flax oil and or krill oil from Vitality Science. I put it in the dogs food. I have tried shark liver oil on spots that break out with great success. I dont clip the dogs hair at all. I just apply the oil. A guy from a natural dog food company told me about that one. It works well for one of my dogs. I do home cooking, probiotics and I really think it is partly hereditary. The one JRT that is not related has no problems and neither do his relatives. :) My girls are bad breeding. They are fixed. :) whewwww
ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Dryogabear (Northport, Ny Usa) on 10/14/2011
Cancelled vet appointment, brewed black tea, using aloe vera juice, and already he seems to have stopped chewing his butt off. Thank you for all your tips and advice.
ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Unknowen (Portland, Oregon) on 06/22/2012
Ok all of this stuff helps but has anyone got the hot spots cleared up and then in about two or three days they return again... What do you think might cause that??? I never see my dog licking or scratching.... He is a very heavy haired dog because he is a Chesse.... And he is a very nervous dog... He is hydosefelis.. That is not right spelling but anyway he was born with water on the brain so he sees everything different in this world... Your thoughts on this would help... Thank You
ACV and Omega 3
Posted by Mssnk9368 (Janesville, Wisconsin) on 06/26/2012
★★★★★
I found this site totally by accident, but what a happy find.
I was helping a friend find and inexpensive way to treat hot spots on her dog. We tried the 50/50 mix of ACV what a difference (the topical application). The first 24 hrs we saw and improvement and it is continually getting better. We are now on the third day it is almost gone.
Since the ACV is working so well I started reading more posts on the site about its usage for other remedies. Last year my 2 dogs suffered so much from fleas, I was at my wits end trying to help them. This year I'm going to try the ACV I've read so many good things about it on this site.
Thanks to everyone for their posts I learned alot about ACV.
General Feedback
Posted by Kathy (Toronto, Canada) on 10/16/2007
★★★★★
I adopted a 3 year old golden and he is very prone to hot spots only on his tail. He will chew it until it bleeds But He seems to do it if I work late or am away over night There are other family members in the home But I have switched food cut out all treats and for two months no hot spot, I went away last thursday overnight came home friday and there was a hot spot on the tail. Is this possible? is he afraid that I will leave him? all I know about him is he was dumped at a shelter .
EC: Kathy, our dog (a rescue as well) also has hot spot issues. We've noticed that they are nonexistent during the spring and summer months with typically dry, hot weather. When the weather gets cooler and starts to rain, the hot spots start appearing, one after the other. After years of going through the same cycle, we are beginning to suspect that it has to do with the weather.
Antiseptic Powder, Sea Salt and Water Solution
Posted by Tara (UK) on 03/07/2007
★★★★★
My Black Lab developed 2 hotspots on her belly after we got her spayed. I used a dry antiseptic powder (over the counter brand) which I applied approximately 3 times a day. After a few days of this I then dabbed sea salt and water solution on with cotton wool before I applied the powder. I used the sea salt solution approximately 3 times a day and the powder approximately 3 times a day. After 2 weeks she was completely free of hot spots. It is obviously highly important to the healing process to stop the dog licking the area as much as possible. Best regards
Manuka Honey
Posted by Meg (Coromandel, New Zealand) on 02/25/2007
★★★★★
I have little faith in vets and I try to find things that work and have some luck - manuka honey is really good as antibiotic internally and externally for animals and they like it. Chamomile teabag soak for any eye problems. These are 2 tried and trusted ones for me.
