What's the best otc topical to use on itchy dog?

[evans36]

OK so my dog came back from the barn yesterday and he got into SOMEthing that ate him up. He's on a flea program that works well. I have some Neopredef powder for a hotspot he gets sometimes on his butt by the tail. But these are welts on his legs, etc. Not as swollen this AM as yesterday, but he's chewing himself all over. Vet isn't in today and I will not be taking him to the emergency vet, as I just lost my job so don't have the $$. Would it be terrible for me to use benadryl or cortizone cream? Which should I use? Do I need to worry about him if he eats it off himself? Thank you everyone in advance!!

[rcloisonne]

If it were my dog, I'd give him a bath in cool water and add a tablespoon or two of baking soda to the tub. Benadryl wouldn't hurt either. Unless you also shave him, I don't think topical cortisone will help much.

[Blacklabs]

A bath in antibacterial soap will help, there's lots of good info under this thread also.

http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=210464

[kookicat]

Ditto the bath. :)

Hope he's soon feeling better.

[evans36]

I gave him a bath yesterday and just put his topical flea stuff on there, so I want to use the bath as the last resort... would prefer not to waste $10. Thanks so much for the info... I think I will try the benadryl ingestable. Thanks!!

[Marshfield]

Just stay away from anything Neosporin like or in a greasy base as that will only encourage the forming of hot spots.

[Pancakes]

An oatmeal bath (Aveeno or similar) will give him relief until you can get him to the vet!

[Ty2003]

Benadryl should help - just be sure to use the plain Benadryl and not the "sinus" one. Even better, just get the generic Diphenhydramine HCL. You can give up to 1 mg/pound three times a day. So, for a 50 lb dog, you'd give 50 mg, and so forth. It will make them a little drowsy :-) I actually give it to my dog for thunderstorms to keep him calm.

[Foxtrot's]

This does not specifically apply to your dog's condition - I don't thinks so, anyway.
But for those who have dogs with hotspots: Our daxie had them and scratched the base of his tail mercilessly. I tried all the flea treatments, etc. but he never gave up, even in winter when there were no visible fleas. (We don't get a lot of fleas at the best of times).
I finally washed him in Betadine - once and then again a week later. He cured up magically. I think the fleas leave a parasite or something itchy in the skin and the Betadine killed it and any hatchlings. So simple it is worth a try since every barn has Betadine in it!

[spacehorse]

Our chocolate lab seems to get this weird skin condition through the summer months,

It has required antibiotics in the past. This year I clipped her (with the BIG Clipmasters!). I have been giving her weekly baths with a good tea tree oil shampoo, and following with this tea tree foam stuff on the yucky skin.

It has really helped when I have been diligent about it. I would also say Benadryl, but you might get a dopey dog. :)

[lolalola]

You could also try a little Gold Bond powder.

[vacation1]

Would it be terrible for me to use benadryl or cortizone cream? Which should I use? Do I need to worry about him if he eats it off himself? Thank you everyone in advance!!

Sorry about the job! A vet told me that if I needed to apply cortizone to my itchy dog and was worried she was just going to immediately lick it all off, to do something to distract her - take a walk, play with her, feed her, etc. - and give it a chance to work.

[CB/TB]

If you can find it( KVVet sells it) in tack shops, Columbia Veterinary Powder works wonders. You can even use it on you for bug bites, poison ivy, etc. It's a boric acid based powder and cleared up a leg issue that my dearly departed GSP had for months. We tried everything known to man and that was the final thing that helped. I've only seen it "on the shelf" at one store, but have bought it from KVVET- about $13 for a baby powder sized container.

[Blacklabs]

Here's the link as to where to purchase Columbia Antiseptic Powder


http://www.columbiapowder.com/products/vet_antiseptic/vwhere.html

[blaster]

If you call your vet, they can sell you shampoo which also has anti-histimines (sp?) in it. Wet, lather, soak 10 min, rinse.

[RU2U]

We had a dog with the same prob. We used Sulfadene that you buy at Walmart. Just pore it on the hot spots and poof its gone, at least for awhile. Its made for hot spots and works well found in the dog aisle.

[Pirateer]

We give ours Benadryl for any allergy stuff.
Also the oatmeal bath sounds like a good idea, but I'm not sure my girls would like that.

[Go Fish]

This does not specifically apply to your dog's condition - I don't thinks so, anyway.
But for those who have dogs with hotspots: Our daxie had them and scratched the base of his tail mercilessly. I tried all the flea treatments, etc. but he never gave up, even in winter when there were no visible fleas. (We don't get a lot of fleas at the best of times).
I finally washed him in Betadine - once and then again a week later. He cured up magically. I think the fleas leave a parasite or something itchy in the skin and the Betadine killed it and any hatchlings. So simple it is worth a try since every barn has Betadine in it!

Some dogs are allergic to flea saliva. Topical flea treatments kill fleas, but the flea has to bite first to ingest the poison. When the fleas bite, they leave behind the saliva, and the dog reacts to it.

[Petstorejunkie]

benadryl is your best bet for helping the immediate itchies.
for those recurring hotspots you need to take a good look at what you are FEEDING your dog. Certain ingredients common in many dog foods such as corn, wheat, and soy can cause allergic dermatological reactions in dogs. Many times eliminating these allergens rids the dog of the dermatological issues.
Hot spots are not normal