★★★★★
I have a Newfoundland dog who is very prone to hotspots, and I have tried just about everything on him. He has seasonal allergies and breaks out twice a year. Here's what I do as soon as I spot one: clip all of the hair away from the spot and a good border around it, and clean the whole area with lots of hydrogen peroxide. I will usually dab on some witch hazel to help dry it out, and then dust the whole area with Gold Bond Powder. The powder stops him from licking and helps keep the spot dry, and it's also antiseptic. However, hot spots can spread into massive staph infections really quickly, and sometimes antibiotics are the only way to treat them effectively.