Why does my golden retriever have a black crusty rash at tail base?

Hi there! The base of the tail area is a common hiding place for fleas. Unfortunately the picture of the black crusts is a bit blurry, but fleas usually leave what we call "flea dirt" (its really flea poop!) in the hair. It can appear like black crusts. If Major is not on a flea and tick preventative, I highly recommend getting him started on one. Many dogs have allergies to fleas and the vicious cycle of biting, scratching and chewing starts until they have caused a wound or sore. There are definitely other possibilities other than fleas, but your description and the fact that both dogs are experiencing the same signs is suspicious for a fleas. It is important that Major, does not continue to chew his tail as it looks like he has already made a good start on giving himself a hotspot. I would highly recommend having both dogs, especially Major since he already has a sore, evaluated by a veterinarian to rule out other possible dermatologic problems. Treating for fleas is an easy place to start and you can do that with out a trip to the vet. I hope this information was helpful and your pups get some relief soon!

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If she doesn’t have a history of skin allergies I would suspect she may have a bacterial infection, thyroid disease some other kind of skin disorder (seborrhea). I would suggest starting with pet formulated fish oils to see if this makes a difference. Also a topical shampoo (Duoxo seborrhea shampoo is recommended) can be tried. If there is no resolve after this, then a trip to the vet is warranted to get the skin tested and a thyroid test done. Best wishes with Holly and I hope her skin resolves soon. Take care.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. About 99/100 times if a dog comes to the vet clinic with something like this they also have fleas. If you don't have him on a good flea prevention then he is likely scratching this location due to fleas. I do think I see some "flea dirt" in the photo. I strongly recommend you get him to the vet for an exam. If he has fleas you need to get a good prescription flea prevention. Also, this type of lesion almost always needs oral antibiotics and some type of oral antiinflammatory to stop the itch cycle for it to heal. As long as he keeps scratching it, it will not heal no matter what you apply topically. If you choose to try and treat it yourself at home, you can use this hot spot spray gel 3- 4 times per day. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/3-oz-3-fl-oz-hot-spot-antimicr-2877113 ) You will also need to get some dog boots to put on his back feet so if he tries to scratch the area it won't continue to traumatize the skin. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/search?query=dog%20boots ) If you do this at home for about 5-7 days and there is no improvement or it looks worse at any time then he needs to see the vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Unfortunately, you can’t tell the cause of the rash just by looks alone. It’s possible this is related to fleas in the environment or that this is an allergic reaction. This could also be related to hypothyroidism. I recommend to discuss treating him with a good flea product like Simparica with his veterinarian. If you must use an over-the-counter product, use Frontline. This is still a good product but there are some resistance with fleas. Make sure to protect the area from any licking or scratching with an Elizabethan collar. You can wash the area once a day and rinse it well. Start him on an omega-3 fatty acid supplement. If this does not start to look better within a week or if it starts to get worse, have him examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the picture, I suspect that this is a pustule that ruptured and crusted over. This could be due to a localized skin infection or this could be a fungal infection such as ringworm. The vomiting is likely unrelated so I would not worry about that as long as he is improved. For the skin, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine the area so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. A topical and / or oral medication may be needed for treatment. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi! Its great you have a picture in there! So, the wound appearance is similar to a fungus infection, which is quite common in dogs with this type of fur as in golden retrievers. It's not easy to dry it completely, so some fungus can take advantage on that and cause an infection. As it is pruritic (a nice word for itching), and fungal infection in the majority is NOT itchy, a secondary bacterial contamination can be occurring. You will need some extra diagnostics work up with your vet to figure this out, or do an diagnostic by exclusion (treating the most common causes to see if helps). Other very important fact to be looked at, is if this "crusty - like" wound was caused by the itching problem and there is another underlying skin allergic reaction happening such as, flea allergy (remember you don't have to see the fleas on your dog for this), food related allergy, atopic allergy, etc. As I don't know for how long you have been treating Cody, so the antibiotic might no had kicked in yet. Cold baths with Chlorhexidine shampoos (you can even buy "Dettol" on supermarket) can give some quick relief.

This could be beginning of flea allergy or problems with anal glands. The best way to approach it in this case, will be to get a good flea product, (ideally spot-on form) and apply on Daisy's neck . Please, keep the cone on as it is important that Daisy is not licking the sore area. You should bath the wound with disinfectant (ideally, containing chlorexidine) for 4-5 days. Anal glands can be emptied by an veterinary technician or experienced dog groomer - may be worth to get her anal glands checked too. If this doesn't help you will need to take Daisy to your local vet to get treatment.