Sulfodene for Treatment of Hotspots for Dogs

Does your dog suffer from hotspots? Many dogs are tormented by the insistent itching and burning of hotspots. The key to providing your dog relief is to clear up hotspots with early treatment, before a severe infection has the chance to develop. Hotspots are skin conditions that have become inflamed and infected. The affected area often appears as a sore, reddened area that is very itchy to the dog. Hair loss and open sores often occur as the condition worsens.

Any situation that causes itching can lead to hotspots for your dog. For some dogs it could begin with food or environmental allergies, but it can also begin with insect bites, fleas, or even a scratch or wound that becomes itchy. The insistent scratching and chewing of the affected area eventually leads to a hotspot, and if left untreated the wound can quickly deepen into the dog's skin.

Every year my dog suffers from hotspots to some degree, usually beginning in mid-summer and lasting until the cooler temperatures arrive in the fall. Most often her infections are only periodic itching during the hotter days of summer, but it's usually nothing that a good bath and skin soothing oatmeal shampoo won't cure; however, she did require a trip to the vet for hotspot treatment several years ago.

I've tried many home remedies and over-the-counter products advertised to treat hotspots, but until recently standard hydrocortisone cream provided my dog the best over-the-counter relief. But when the hotspots returned this summer someone recommended to me that I give Sulfodene a try. Sulfodene 3-way ointment has a strong antiseptic smell that I was sure my dog would not appreciate, and as predicted I found myself chasing my dog through the house during my attempt to apply the initial treatment. I applied the ointment to her hotspots with a cotton ball nightly, and within a few days most of the redness was gone and so was her itching. Now when I apply Sulfodene she lies down on the floor for treatment without giving protest. This non protest is reassuring to me that the Sulfodene treatment really is providing her the relief she deserves.