My dog has black dots, discolored skin, and licks her genital area.

It could be a bacterial infection or a yeast infection. Generally these occur just due to the nature of the skin in the area--the environment is dark in the skin folds, and there is some moisture from the skin and sometimes from urine as well. If it is not bothering her (she is definitely not licking at it, etc) it could also be just waxy secretions/plugged hair follicles, etc. You can try using just plain Witch Hazel (available at any pharmacy) on a cotton swab or pad once or twice a day for a few days to see if that helps; however if it does not help or if this seems to irritate her skin further or if she does not like it when you do this, DO NOT CONTINUE TO ATTEMPT THIS METHOD. Take her to the vet. And if you do try just cleaning it at home, take her in if you aren't seeing an improvement within 2-3 days. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The dark spots on Chloe's skin may be what are called comedones, which are essentially clogged pores. These are very common in the inguinal and genital area. They are clinically insignificant and should not cause any problems. I hope this is helpful!

Hello, thank you for your question. So, there could be more than one thing going on. All of which Ukie should be evaluated by a veterinarian for. Scooting on the floor is typically consistant with full anal glands, which need to be expressed. Sometimes dogs will lick there genital area if they have a urinary tract infection, which will usually also be acccompanied by frequent unproductive attempts to urinate, straining to urinate, and/or blood in the urine. Another thought is that some dogs can have too much extra skin around the vulva causing it to be “recessed,” which is a fancy way to say the vulva has a skin fold around it. That skin fold can create a dark, moist place for yeast and bacteria to grow and become itchy. We also can’t rule out a primary skin problem. I recommend having Ukie seen by her veterianarian to get to the bottom of her uncofortableness. Hope this helps, I hope Ukie feels better soon!

The black coloring is a pigment that the skin produces when it is chronically inflamed. Most often the skin gets like this when there is an untreated bacterial or yeast infection of the skin. I suggest you try wiping the area 2-3 times per day with these medicated pads. If no improvement after a week or so, then get her back to the vet as they may have to do some testing of the skin. ( https://www.allivet.com/p-8167-vetraseb-ck-antiseptic-wipes-ps-for-dogs-and-cats-60-wipes.aspx ) If she is licking the area you will need to get her a cone collar to stop that. No matter what you do to treat the area it will not get better if she continues to lick it. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-ecollars?ddkey=https%3ASearchDisplay ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. 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!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. What you are describing could be secondary to a bacterial / yeast infection or allergies. I would recommend using the below products to see if the black discoloration resolves. If the discoloration is still present and Duke continues to lick the area or it worsens, I would recommend discussing allergy medication options with your veterinarian such as Apoquel and Cytopoint. A veterinary dermatologist may also prove to be helpful in figuring out what the main problem is. 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. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the area twice daily until resolved 3. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules 4. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent All of these products can be found online quite easily.

She may be coming into heat which could be causing her to feel irritated down there, making her scratch which damages tge skin barrier and can cause skin infection. Or alternatively she has simply got a skin infection. The skin does look inflamed and the dark pigment could just be natural colour change or it could caused by yeast. She looks sore so I would have the vet examine her and determine exactly what microbes ate present in the area and then decide how best to treat. She may just need an antinflammatory or antihistamine but I suspect she will also require an antimicrobial.