I use a anti-itch cortizone cream when I see him scratching and also when he is very uncomfortable, I give him Benedryl. After he swims in the pond, we bathe him with an oatmeal shampoo. These things all help but nothing seems to cure .

You can try Benedryl if your vet says ok. The vet told me that it does not help all dogs, some have no reaction to it. Your homemade salve sounds helpful, but there are many sprays and shampoos available which you could try. Look online or in better pet stores.

Recently took my pup for grooming and paid extra for the "Anti-Itch Package" which I thought was probably scam, but it did help. Not sure what they used.

Keep trying to help Boomer; we can all imagine how miserable it is to be so itchy.

I swear by chilled aloe jell, worked wonders for my dog.

(Many a Conformation Show handler has used Benadryl to calm down an excited dog.)

I've heard lots of reports about using Listerine as a topical treatment for "hot spots."

We have a 3 year old lab, she's never gotten a hot spot, but last spring she started chewing her paws raw. I didn't want to constantly medicate her with a borage of antihistamines that may or may not work, so the vet suggested we have her tested for outdoor allergies instead. The results showed she's allergic to 3-4 types of grass, a couple of different mites and all forms of yeast. Based on those results, the testing company mixed an antibody medicine that is specifically designed for her. This is her first spring on it and so far, we haven't seen her chewing at all. And the bonus was discovering her allergy to yeast. Since puppyhood, she has always battled ear infections; none of the antibiotics would work and now we know why. Yeast, especially Brewers Yeast, is in so many of their foods and treats.

The test was about $200, the medicine is $175 for a 6 month supply. A bit costly I guess, but it's been almost a year since her last ear infection so we're saving a lot of money in that regard plus it was a healthier fix for our girl. My point is (sorry for the long winded story) maybe since you know your Labs issue is outdoor related, having the test would remove the guess work and offer a fix that's actually designed to meet your dogs needs.

Boomer's hot spots didn't start until he was three years old (which is when a Lab becomes an adult.) It would start every spring in March and because it was only in the spring, we knew it couldn't be food oriented. Possibly it is new grasses and pollen - that makes sense. It always lasts about three months and then he is fine for the rest of the year (which also tells me it isn't heat related). We had his face shaved and are treating it with my aloe salve and an antibiotic spray. It is already drying up. Whenever he starts getting upset and gets little bumps on his face, I am giving him benedryl which stops the scratching. Hopefully it will dry up and the spots won't get infected - that is when it starts spreading

Poor puppy, I bet that has to be a miserable three months for him. I can't say enough about the allergy program we have our lab on, I just hated to see her so uncomfortable and it's definitely working. I hope you're able to figure out the cause. You may want to read through or even post your situation on Justlabradors.com, it's a forum setting and maybe someone there has experienced the same thing.

We had a bichon with BAD hot spots. He got relief from rx hydroxyzine and topical spray.

He spent a lot of time in his e-collar ;(

I know this sounds strange but I trained GSD's for the sport of Shutzhund for many years and have owned around 45 of them.Ocassional hot spots were common.Learned this from an old dog breader in Kentucky.Apply some vinegar douche to the hot spot followed by some cortisone cream.It works .The douche stops the itching .

Sounds like a try but doesn't the vinegar really sting? Is it put on raw skin?

The dogs sis not seem to mind it and it worked.Probably did not bother them as much as the issue with the hot spots.