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My pitbull has acne on his lip and chin. Could it be allergies?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

So I have a American pitbull and he isn’t much of an outside dog even though when I take him out to walk which is like 2x a month because I get worried that he might catch something. Since he is a pitbull and they are very sensitive. He has acne on his upper lip and on the side and on the bottom of the chin. I got another response saying it might be allergies or skin parasite but why if he barely goes out and I live in a good healthy community. What might he have and is it really serious ☹️?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on April 9th, 2018

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely allergies because of the multifocal nature of the lesions and the appearance. Generally allergies are broken down into 3 big categories: flea allergy (dogs can still get fleas even if they do not go outside much), food allergy and environmental allergies. This is not necessarily life threatening but it is a matter of quality of life so working up is recommended.

Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market).

If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests.

Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively! Good luck and have a great day!
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