My cat's hot spot healed, but the skin turned black. What is it?

Any type of irritation/inflammation can cause the skin to be darker in color when it heals. You can see that in the second picture. It is not abnormal for the darker color in the skin to last for a while, but it almost appears that the skin in the last picture is darker than the second (which might just be an artifical aspect of the picture). The skin appears to have healed well, so if the dark area is just taking a while to resolve, it likely isn't anything worry about. If it appears to be enlarging or getting darker however, I would have your vet examine Addison. I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

What you are seeing is likely dead skin and will fall off soon. Once the skin falls off, there will likely be an open wound. Once this happens I would see the veterinarian for a recheck examination as it will need to be cleaned out from infection to ensure healthy tissue grows back in. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Hello and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Hyperpigmentation is very common when there is chronic irritation in the skin, which happens with allergies. The hair can also change color as it grows back. I wouldn't be too concerned as long as the irritation is gone and that it is just pigment and not a raised growth. Monitor it closely and if you see it start to raise up rather than just be a flat, black spot on the skin, I would have it evaluated by your veterinarian.

There will be areas around the wound where the skin will die off, then new skin cells will move in. The grey is likely dying skin whilst the red is the new healthy skin. If the wound looks particularly red, or is smelly or pussy it would be necessary to visit the vet as antibiotics will be needed.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! When there has been inflammation in the skin (like what happens secondary to a flea bite) the skin will sometimes change color as it heals. That area looks like it is starting to regrow hair and that the original inflammation is subsiding so I wouldn't be concerned. It is recommended to use at least 4 months of consistent flea prevention to fully eradicate fleas or all year round if Lynx is an outdoor cat. A high quality flea preventative like Frontline plus, Revolution or Advantage should be used.

A dark change in skin color can be a sign of lack of blood supply. If this is the case then the initial wound damaged the tissue and it is not uncommon to show up days to weeks later. The ointment will not hurt but it is unlikely to help if this is the case. It is best to see a vet to see if antibiotics or surgery will be needed

The black spots look like pigment in the picture. If it is not pigment I would recommend bringing Catto to the veterinarian to look at it. With the pictures, it is difficult to definitively tell. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.