My dog has black dots and stuff around her private area. Is it normal?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These are likely comedones, which are essentially blocked pores. You do not need to worry about these unless Rita seems irritated by her private area and is licking frequently. I hope this is helpful!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Based off the picture, these dark black spots on Honey's abdomen appear to be comedones, which are basically clogged pores that fill with oil and skin debris. There are clinically insignificant, and shouldn't cause her any issues. If she doesn't seem bothered by them, she should be just fine! If she seems to want to lick or cause irritation to the area, she may have another confounding skin issue such as a superficial infection. I hope this is helpful!

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. From the pictures, these appear to be comedones, or clogged pores. As long as Sasha is not bothered by them, there is no need to do anything about them. I hope this is helpful!

Frequent licking generally indicates irritation or infection. Licking around the genital area can also indicate a urinary tract infection. I suspect the discoloring of her skin is related to the licking although some pet's skin will darken as they mature. I would recommend to make an appointment with her vet to have her skin examined and her urine tested to make sure everything is normal. At home, you can wash the areas daily with an antibacterial soap and rinse it well - be careful not put soap in her vulva (vagina). This will help to clean off the skin. There can be many causes of skin irritation or infection including bacterial infections, environmental allergies, food allergies and flea allergies. The doctor will try to determine the cause and may prescribe some medications to decrease irritation. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, my name is Dr. Shines and I am happy to help. Looking at the photo I see 4-5 distinct black dots that look to be the pore opening of his teats (they match on both sides so that's how you know). I also see darker skin discoloration around his prepuce. Sometimes this darker discoloration is natural and happens as they age. Sometimes it can indicate a thyroid disorder. Sometimes it indicates allergies. If Yogi doesn't seems bothered by it, it's not itching and he's not excessively licking it, it's probably normal. If it's looking red at all or he's licking at it, then I start to suspect one of the other two causes. Sometimes improving over all skin health can help. For that I recommend a fatty acid like Welactin and a potentially a diet change to Royal Canin or Nutro (both great diets for skin). It will take about 6 weeks to be effective. Washing him in an oatmeal type doggie shampoo and conditioner can also help. If that's not helping, make an appointment for an examine. Sometimes they need stronger medication or they need a blood test for the thyroid. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

Those black spots look like comedones (aka: blackheads). I suggest you use this shampoo that contains benzoyl peroxide. Lather the affected areas (no need to do the whole dog), let it sit for 10-15 minutes and then rinse throughly. Do this every 2-3 days until they are gone. Then use this shampoo 1-2 times every month for maintenance. ( allivet.com/p-7130-oxiderm-shampoo-ps.aspx )