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My dog's face is raw and irritated from soap. What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 3 years and 10 months old | 55 lbs

The side of our dog’s face is raw and irritated. We think she had a bad a reaction to the soap my dad accidentally used(Dove gentle exfoliating body wash). Any advice on how to treat it? Please keep I’m mind that we trimmed the hair off of it because her fur was caking. This happened within the last 3 days.

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 7th, 2018

Hello, this looks like a case of moist dermatitis, or a hot spot, sometimes caused by an allergy. You can gently clean this with an antibacterial solution like Hibiclens available at all pharmacies. Then apply a light coating of 1% hydrocortisone twice a day. It should look better in a day or so, but if not, please see your veterinarian for further treatment. Thank you.

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