Loading...Q. What can I use to help my dog with scratching? He scratches and bites at his leg all day. He has been to the vet and has even been on prednisone and antibiotics. Is there anything else I can do to give him some relief?
A. Many years ago we heard from a fellow whose vet had suggested a solution for doggie “hot spots:” Listerine, mineral oil and water in equal parts. After we wrote about this approach, we heard from another dog owner:
“This is the most fantastic solution I’ve read about in a long time! The minute my dogs start ‘worrying’ a spot, I get out my spray bottle, spray the area thoroughly, massage the solution into their skin and the problem stops immediately. No more hot spots that involve trips to the vet.”
Hot spots sometimes result from allergies, so it makes sense to work with the vet to minimize allergic exposures. Some owners who use this Listerine solution put a shield on the dog–for example, an Elizabethan collar–to keep it from licking at the spot for a while.
Lowell
28673
My husky just got a hot spot 3 days ago and I’ve tried sprays, antibiotic ointment, hydrocortisone creams, I’ve shaved her at the spot and cleaned it with hot water and peroxide,, of course 50~50 and to no prevail nothing has worked could someone please give me some info that Will work
Dave G
I think the active ingredient in the listerene is essence of thyme (thymus vulgarus). Strong stuff!!! I wonder if the alcohol is really needed in the mix, it would burn like hell on a hotspot and I’m going to ponder on that, maybe try it as described and make up my own minus the alcohol and compare them…
Kristine
Listerine WILL sting as it has alcohol in it. One of my dogs has severe hot spots on her front leg, despite feeding premium grain free food. I’m still in search for a home remedy that will help. I tend to think my dog’s licking is a behavioral issue, and not due to itching. It’s really a hard problem to solve! I think it’s important to keep area clean using Povidone Iodine or Betadine.
matt
My shepherd has hot spots what should I use.
Rebecca
My 8 year old golden adopted him at age 4 and for 2 years beautiful and healthy. Then all of a sudden hot spots which he scratches or rubs on the rug to itch. I’ve spent thousands and nothing works. Vets say lets run allergy tests but nothing conclusive. I’ve tried expensive no wheat, corn foods. He was so sick from the antibiotics they gave him over and over.
The only thing I do now is use neosporin after gently cleaning and soaking the spot with warm compresses. He has to wear his dish collar until it heals. The vets shaved him so many times he looks terrible and the hair is extremely slow growing back and his coat is dull. Some spots healed then the skin turned black. I feed him now Benniful and add 2 fish oil capsule a day. He gets frozen mixed vegetables every couple days and some plain white rice.
I bathe him every 2 weeks now to keep him dust free it seems to help. I will definitely try the Listerine mix, I assume it will not burn his skin as it has alcohol.
Thanks for the tip I hope it works.
Golden lover
George
Have same problem–my saint is on high end non grain food–only protein treats, gets revolution, no OCD, no mites, no fleas, –although whenever gets into a swamp –he has the bad luck of getting a hot spot at neck–going to try Listerine solution–the hot spot smells and is just gross and in a hard to treat area–thanks for the idea.
LB
I know dogs that have been on a grain free diet for over a year and still have this problem…SO? My friend and I have tried everything and we still have this problem in two of the dogs! I guess I’ll try Listerine, though I have tried treating it as a fungus and had no response from that either! Vets just want to treat it with steroids. My dog is on Revolution, not sure about friends’. I am going crazy trying to rid my poor girl of this! Going grain free isn’t the solution, unless your pet is allergic to them.
Alice
I have to agree with everyone who recommends a change in diet. It’s by far the simplest and cheapest solution to the problem. It generally works quite quickly, and doesn’t have any potential side effects. I have also found that adding fish oil to my dogs’ food improves their coat and skin condition, especially in the winter.
t
I used a product called Lido Med spray available at Petco. This type of product soothes the skin while at the same time it has a taste that dogs dislike so they stop chewing right away giving the hot spot a chance to heal.
Dianne
I had a friend with a Rhodesian Ridgeback w/ horrible itching problems; he started feeding her local honey, a teaspoon (or perhaps tablespoon) with each of her meals, and it cleared it up. Just as local honey is supposed to help people with allergies, it helped this dog w/ skin allergies.
sam
I adopted a black 7 white border collie/cattledog mix. First May she developed hot spots along her black back. Spent too much money at vet with no relief and everything I could find in animal product stored all to no avail. Than talked to a dog groomer and she said she knows people who show dogs and they use Kaopectat on affected areas at first sign of itching. I used that and it cleared up.
Every May after that I used it as soon as itching developed and it always stopped it. (Along with intensive brushing to remove winter coat shedding.)
E W
I have a 15# Chihuahua which I adopted about four years ago and from day one he has had a bad body odor which I think is yeast. Several vets have diagnosed seborrhea dermatitis and advised using a medicated shampoo but the odor is back in two or three days after bathing. Has anyone had a similar experience? There is no hot spot… just the smell and itching to a degree. I have always fed him premium foods. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
S J-S
As a dog breeder for 40 years, my experience is that this behavior, especially when it goes on for a long period of time, is probably not a typical “hot spot” but rather a form of OCD and needs to be treated as such. You need to break the cycle, find a way to distract him/her. The longer it has gone on the harder the behavior is to divert. Initially a toy or a treat to divert attention and then a walk, a game of fetch, an obedience exercise, something more long term to get his/her mind off the spot and the behavior. There are also drugs that can help.
Nita D
I had a dog with psoriasis with persistent scratching. After years of Prednisone, I put her on a bio-active, pure whey protein isolate-available on the Internet, and also gave her some Selenium and B vitamins. It makes the “package” complete for the body to do it’s work (a substance called glutathione).
Not only did it stop the itching, but it helps boost the immune system. She was put down at 19 years of age due to arthritis, maybe helped by the fact that the prescribed dose of prednisone was way too high !
sh
Thanks for this info.
Here’s something that worked great on my dog’s skin condition that appeared every May and went away every October, mostly on her chest and underside. Pretty sure it was plant allergies. Negative for mites, ringworm and everything else my vet cultured. Special dips, prescription shampoos, antibiotics– didn’t help (even the $90 ones).
By the 3rd year, I worked out the allergy angle (brushing in plant growth) and started using CalaHist (clear gel calamine) to coat her underside. No skin breakout since I started doing that.
Note: this is different from “hot spots”. Thanks for the hot spot info tho–my other dog gets them sometimes.
Mary Ellen
The primary reason for the hot spots is due to food that has CORN, SOY AND WHEAT so try the higher quality foods without those ingredients.
They will be a little more expensive but you will be in the vet much less especially if you feed a GRAIN FREE FOOD such as Blue Buffalo, Wellness, Solid Gold, etc.
mmk
So what is the recipe for the listerine preparation??
Ca
My personal suggestion is diet. What one eats has a strong reflection on how we feel and live. My dogs are no exception.
I have fed them a homemade diet for years, even before it was popular. I include homemade biscuits and treats in their diet also to control possible allergens. I’ve made raised beds out of PVC pipe, and used outdoor fabric to cover the top, thus eliminating cedar pillows, and or foam beds. I have blankets and quilts I made from old towels and scrap material, which get washed on a regular basis, in homemade detergent.
As far as the out of doors is concerned, when we take long walks or hikes, I keep a damp towel outside so as to remove any pathogen on their fur (legs, belly, feet, etc) before we go inside.
I cook their meals in a pressure cooker, less than an hour and a days meal is ready. I feed 7 dogs daily, 2 meals and snacks daily. I take recipes for stews and soups and make them over to fit a dogs diet, economical and healthy. I cook for the human side of the family in a similar fashion.
It’s not the perfect outlet, I’ve had years where I had to use a flea deterrent, or they had a rash or cough my home remedies did not cure. If you can afford it seek a veterinarian who does alternative medicine in addition to standard practices.
Best of luck.
Renee M.
My vet recommended that when he starts to chew on an area…or lick medicine I put on him….to put a dab of vicks vapo rub near it. He will not go any where near the vicks.. it really works.
SGJ
I have been giving my Westies (known for having skin problems) yeast with garlic pills purchased at either Petco or Petsmart for over 12 years. My 16# Westie gets two pills a day and chews them like treats. “Knock on wood”, but they have not had a single itch or hot spot at all. I read about this when I was deciding what kind of dog to get and was very hesitant to get a breed prone to skin problems since we live in the warm, humid South.
I have mentioned this to numerous people I’ve encountered over the years who are constantly dealing with their pets’ hot spots and excessive scratching. Most have told me that after taking the pills for several weeks, the problems went away and did not return. I think it has to do with keeping the yeast/garlic in the system every day.
Hope this helps your pup!
Gin
One summer my dog got a large hot spot on her hip area. She had gnawed on the spot until it was a sore. I had read that Neem tree oil a good antiseptic. (look up Neem tree on the net) Fortunately I had just bought some from Whole Foods. One application and it began to dry in. It works!!
PEOPLE’S PHARMACY RESPONSE: PLEASE CHECK ANY REMEDY SUCH AS NEEM OR VICKS WITH THE VET TO MAKE SURE IT IS NOT TOXIC FOR THE DOG. VICKS IS NOT MEANT TO BE TAKEN INTERNALLY (LICKED).
Susan H
Where do you find the Revolution?
RDH
Listerine, baby oil, and water, equal parts. Spray on the spot and it is gone!!. I had a chow and this worked instantly.
Donna
Listerine mixed in equal parts with water is a good way to clean dogs between baths (or if they get into something good and smelly). Important to know that it’s the original gold Listerine that should be used …
RC1956
We use Aveeno (or any oatmeal bath), oatmeal shampoo with conditioners, Avon’s Skin So Soft. I haven’t tried Listerine but use it myself for dermatitis and warts, so we may try that.
Sleeping on a cotton sheet helped another dog, who was allergic to the nylon carpet.
JCB
I have two cats. One bites and licks his legs and underbelly until the hair is worn off. The other cat is unaffected. The vet suggests that it could be mites or allergies or stress related. Would the mineral oil/water/ Listerine solution work on a CAT as well as it does for DOG hot spots?
Cindy B.
I read that rubbing coconut oil into the skin helps. I’ve recommended it to a friend and it did work well on his dog. He also puts a little in his dog’s food and feel it helps his skin and coat internally.
William M.
I read with interest the comments about the dog itching and scratching at his legs. While I am not a vet (not even close) Wife and I owned two Pet Shops over a period of 30 years. We sold our last business around 16 yrs ago so there may be better solutions around.
We spent the years going through the flea powders, the flea sprays the yeast tablets and who knows what else. The neat thing is that nowadays the new flea products are fantastic! My favorite one is “Frontline” which works by depositing drops behind the animals neck. You would have to ask a vet on this, but I would be surprised if the newer flea products not only work on fleas but also on most mites that cause skin problems.
There is also the problem of allergies. I know of at least 2 people whose dogs were apparently allergic to beef and another person whose dog appeared to be allergic to lamb. It is entirely possible that dogs could have allergies to other things. I would certainly look into these things.
Under One Woof
I have been working with Golden Retriever Rescue for many years. One of the biggest problems we see in surrendered dogs are “hot spots.”
I have been very succesful following this approach. Most of the itching we see is due to bad diet.
We feed our dogs a super premium diet (Canidae), No corn, wheat, soy.
Read your dog food labels! I only buy products made in the USA with USA ingredients. No rawhides, pig ears, etc. For treats we use baby carrots, apple slices, pears, bananas.
Remember grapes and raisins are poisonous to dogs!
I top dress the super premium food with Natures Logic Sardine Oil. I use a lot! Not so much that the dog gets loose stools. The fish oil does wonders in quieting the allergic response, and boosting the immune response.
You should see a significant change in 2-6 weeks. No more chronic ear problems, no more hot spots, no more heavy plaque buildup on teeth, and dogs will begin to loose weight when corn, soy and wheat are eliminated from the diet. (Why were they in the diet to begin with? Because they are cheap!)
Most dogs that eat a cheap diet have a problem with yeasty ears and skin. Another itchy problem, stop feeding that yeast with sugary carbohydrates!
The hot spot is caused from dogs itching with their toenails, breaking the skin, then staph has the open door to set up housekeeping. Hot spots usually grow to very large proportions in no time. Whatever you want to put on a hot spot better be able to kill a staph infection. In severe cases we shave the hair surrounding the hot spot, treat with a 4% Chlorhexidine shampoo. Keep the hot spot clean and dry. There are also Chlorhexidine topical sprays.
I hope this helps!
docflyer
My five year old Rat Terrier mix constantly licks her paws. I mixed the solution as stated and sprayed and massaged her two front paws. It took two sprays (one each day) for licking to stop. Thanks a lot for the info.
JKD
We had a Collie Shepherd mix, we tried everything and I mean everything. Even low dose steroids barely kept him sane. After he died we got a Cattle dog and within 3 months he started doing the same thing… chewing all the hair off his body he could reach. Our vet suggested that since the same thing happened to both dog that maybe it was sub dermal mites. We used Revolution ( approved for sub dermal mites) and within 1 week the chewing stopped, and within a month all the hair grew back. I don’t know where the mites come from but we keep the dog on Revolution all year long, in the winter we can go 6-8 weeks but you can always tell when its coming back, the dog acts a ghost is pinching his but. I hope this helps, I feel real bad our first dog went his entire life undiagnosed.
PS we have 3 dog and not all dogs have the problem, for some reason it only effects some dogs.
Jim
Thomas
Have your vet check your dogs thyroid. T-3 and T-4 test. This could be the problem.