I always had good luck using a product for horses called "Cutheal". Tractor Supply should carry it. Caution, you might not want to use it if the dog sleeps in the bed or likes the couch.

Pour some burnt motor oil on them. Sounds funny but it works.

Be careful just picking human drugs for your dog (do whatever you want to stupid cats).

Our Great Dane started having what we thought were hot spots and her hair was shedding everywhere, but had lots of smaller spots and a few that were playing card size or bigger. Finally took her to vet and they did a scrape test and she actually had a bacterial infection. Put her on some antibiotics for about two weeks it cleared up. We also got some special shampoo from vet. That worked for a few weeks then it came back. More antibiotics and that that does took care of it.

As for human drugs I think Benadryl is ok (the cream). My FIL feeds his two dogs a ton of people food and they are both so overweight and now can hardly move so he keeps giving them tylenol. He is one of those who knows everything and even when I showed him a 100 vet sites that it doesn't take much tylenol at all before it becomes toxic to dogs.

Tylenol is really bad for dogs. Buffered aspirin is ok in small doses and limited short periods. The vet will have pain meds that are ok for dogs that is pretty inexpensive and works better.

There is no use trying to talk any sense into my FIL. I told him he needed to have the dogs put down as they have to be living in pain all day every day, but he said as long as they can still walk some and doesn't yelp with each step he won't put them down. Says this on Christmas Day as he gives each dog a paper plate with about 2lbs of human food on each plate for these dogs. One is a Corgi mix (should be about 25lbs yet weighs near 45lbs, the other is a mutt that should go about 30lbs I bet and weights about 70).

Benadryl is one of the safest antihistamines you can give your dog. 10 mg for every 10 pounds. You may give them the liquid or the pills. The cream treats the site. The oral medication suppresses the histamines, if it is an allergy. Tylenol is bad juju for dogs.

Ask your vet, Ratz.

My dog is fine after two rounds of antibiotics. It's my FIL that is a lost cause. and he knows best about everything.