Neosporin on a dog

[PepperElf]

Works pretty well actually. Assuming your dog doesn't try to eat it.


Poochie had some bug bites on the side of her neck that she started scratching at. End result she had a small handful of spots in that section that scabbed over and then reopened because she wouldn't stop scratching at them.


We really didn't want to have to put a "cone of shame" on her, although hey if you have to then you have to. So a couple of nights ago we decided to try generic Neosporin.

Other than the fact that she didn't like being held still, or having the area poked at a bit, it wasn't too bad. She did try licking our fingers clean tho - but I wouldn't let her. Must be the petroleum jelly in it. I caught her scratching at it that night / morning after she woke us up to pee... stopped her scratching, reapplied the ointment, and went back to sleep.

I don't remember if she tried scratching much yesterday. I hissed at her once when I caught her trying - wish I didn't have to chastise her for it but I don't want her to make it worse.

Then I remembered seeing a pit bull at the vet's office that belonged to one of the workers I think. The dog was wearing the top to a set of hospital scrubs and they explained it was either that or the cone, to get him to stop scratching at a wound. (They laughed when I called it the "Cone of shame")

So that got me thinking. Why not try it? I took an old white tshirt, sized it up on the dog, and then cut the bottom off to make it fit. It looked stupid and still left her neck spots exposed.

But then I saw the scrap... ooo! I cut the scrap down one seam so I had a length of tshirt-cloth. I wrapped it around her neck and tied a knot in it, like an aviator's scarf.


End result: the scarf mostly stayed in place. It didn't always cover the spot but I didn't catch her scratching at it really either. Although that could have also been the Fake-Neosporin at work too.

We also gave her a bath last night and this morning I reapplied the fake-Neosporin.


We figure the bites were from fleas. We had her on some monthly meds that killed fleas after they bit, which we decided wasn't good enough and picked out some more aggressive stuff, plus some spray for the furniture.

But of course keep in mind, it's best to stagger the dog-washing and the flea ointment cos you don't want to apply ointment and then wash it all off before it does any good. (we waited at least week before washing her)


So far so good. Hopefully it'll heal much faster now. Especially with her not scratching at it.

[Aethian]

We use the spray benedryl on our dogs when they have aggervations like that. Like last summer when the fleas were HORRIBLE at Mom's place where her vet was recommending reapplying flea treatment every 21 days.

Sadly that was me this year and my puppies are just now growing back in their fur with the help of the anti-itch that helps them not be constantly itching or biting at their skin.

[Yfandes]

yes, Ive used Neosporin, Benadryl cream or over the counter hydrocortisone with good effect on dogs - I like the ones that also have a topical anesthetic - if they dont feel it they dont scratch it. I just make sure they cant lick it off. And wearing an old t-shirt is just final proof that the are human. At least thats what my old greyhound told me....

[PepperElf]

heh. mine's just too small to wear our tshirts. i had a medium white undershirt on her and it was way too big.

(part italian greyhound, part rat terrier - sometimes people who don't know, or don't look at her paw size, think she's really a puppy)

And i just put some more on her neck and reapplied the tshirt scarf band cos i caught her scratching at it. can't wait for them to heal so i don't have to restrict her from having a nice itch.

[Aethian]

Pepper, something we had to do on our cats once was an athletic wrap. Like those red or blue or purple wraps that nurses also put over blood draw areas. They can scratch but unless they can move the bandage the skin will be unharmed. That and the meds stay on longer.

[PepperElf]

hmm that may be an idea too. dunno if we have any here but that's something to consider

[crazyofficeclerk]

Tube socks work great on kittens. Just cut off the foot and slide over their head. The last two cats who got spayed wore tube socks when they came home. Worked great because it covered the stitches and they still had ability to move around.

[MoonCat]

One of our past cats, a sweet little feisty girl called Bunny (been gone for a couple years now), had skin problems on her neck when she was a kitten. We cut the ribbed cuffs off of a couple of old shirts and put one on her like a collar. She got so used to it that it didn't bother her at all and it stopped her scratching long enough for her skin to heal.

[trailerparkmedic]

My dog is on Zyrtec because flea bites bug her so much. Basically the Zyrtec decreases the itchiness. You might want to ask your vet about it.

[bhskittykatt]

(part italian greyhound, part rat terrier - sometimes people who don't know, or don't look at her paw size, think she's really a puppy)

Oooo, Ozzy is part italian greyhound and part Jack Russell. I bet they'd have so much fun together!

Never had to use Neosporin on Ozzy before, but I will keep it in mind. His problem is bruising and straining muscles, since he likes to think he's part mountain goat, and a bad one at that. We use ice treatments to speed the healing. He hates them.

[Pixilated]

My one cat had an injury near the side of his mouth ... I'm guessing the other one gave him a good swat during a playfight with a paw that had one or more unclipped claws on it. A friend recommended Neosporin and I tried it ... but I think most of it ended up inside the cat. "Co-operation" never has been his middle name ...

[ralerin]

We had to put Sally on Benadryl once when she developed massive flea allergies and had half the fur on her bottom missing from the constant scratching. At least it helped with the itching. Poor girl.