[retrieverlover]

I was wondering if anyone has any ideas for dealing with hot spots. My dog has a little hot spot on his leg and he keeps licking and licking it. It's gotten really red and inflamed. I tried using an e-collar on him and he threw an absolute fit (and didn't stop for over an hour). I also tried bandaging his leg and putting anti-bacterial ointment on it. He's had this spot for two months now and I'm getting worried. Any advice?

[danelover]

My dog has this too on one foot. I found that I could control her chewing by telling her to stop, but I'm not recommending that entirely. I read a great article from the Whole Dog Journal on this recently that suggested a few things.

EMT Gel--worth a try, it covers and sticks to the area and tastes bad. I've seen it recommended to have in your pet emergency kit.
North American Tree Resin Company's Hotspot/Livestock Formula--a salve for infections, wounds and hotspots
Coconut oil--a good skin healer as a topical, but you can feed this to your dog as well.
Essential oils can be used, which I tried with moderate success because my dog kept licking them off.

EMT Gel should be available at most pet stores or online. The Hotspot formula has to be ordered from the company's website.