What Can I Do to Relieve My Dog's Raw, Hot & Itchy Skin?

"Hot spots" are those itchy, raw, hot patches on a dog's skin that can cause incessant licking, chewing and scratching. They can make your pet miserable, but there steps you can take to help heal and prevent them.

Things You'll Need

  • Scissors
  • Hair clippers
  • Witch hazel
  • Salt
  • Bowl
  • Wash clothe
  • Black tea bags
  • Vitamin E oil
  • Hydrocortisone cream
  • Elizabethan collar
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Instructions

    • 1

      Clip hair surrounding the hot spot. Use scissors or clippers to remove all hair around the wound. Matted hair can stick to hot spot lesions and cause infection.

    • 2

      Clean the wound thoroughly. Fill a large bowl with warm water and salt. Soak a wash cloth in saltwater and gently clean the wound. Soak the hot spot with the saltwater solution for a few minutes to help remove puss from the wound.

    • 3

      Dip a black tea bag in hot water until soaked. Let the bag cool and place it on the hot spot as a healing compress. Repeat this several times a day until the hot spot shows signs of drying out and healing.

    • 4

      Wipe the wound regularly with witch hazel to cool and soothe the sore spot.

    • 5

      Apply hydrocortisone cream to inflamed areas. At the first sign of a hot spot developing, use cortisone cream to stop it before it grows. If dog is prone to such skin legions, you should keep cream on hand and apply it whenever the dog shows signs of discomfort.

    • 6

      Fit the dog with an Elizabethan collar. E-collars can be obtained at your veterinarian's office and will prevent the dog from chewing and licking the wound.