What causes black skin and red lesions on my dog? Is it serious?

Lesions that look like that are commonly bacterial infections, ringworm (which humans can get) or skin mites. A trip to your veterinarian is the best way to determine the underlying cause and provide appropriate treatment fast. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

If it is the black dog with white legs with a large red lesion on his right rear leg, it looks like he has had a serious injury (not disease) where he either had a large laceration/cut and the skin edges are widely separated now or he had a large section of skin ripped away as can happen if he was perhaps hit by a car or had some other traumatic event. Under ideal circumstances, he would be sedated for the wound to be cleaned and flushed out and given an injection of a long acting antibiotic, pain meds and the lesion/leg would be bandaged for it to heal by second intention unless up close it looks like the skin edges can be debrided and sutured back together. I don’t see red skin all over though, if you have pictures showing the red skin better in other areas of the body other than the right rear leg that would help! Thank you!

Skin lesions can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, or a combination of the above. I recommend making an appointment to have Opehli seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the lesions you’ve noticed and to make sure they are treated appropriately. The vet will likely want to shave the area and look at a sample from the area under the microscope to determine if there is an infection and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment. In the meantime, you can bathe Opehli in hypoallergenic shampoo for dogs to clean the area, and put an e-collar (cone) on Opehli to help reduce the risk of licking/scratching at the area, but this will likely not resolve the lesions. The lesion in the picture looks like it could be a "hot spot" , and will not heal if she is able to lick or scratch at it. See the link below for more information: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952981

Skin lesions can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, or a combination of the above. Some dogs can have pigmentation changes from chronic irritation to the area, while others can have normal pigmented areas similar to freckles. If the lesions are not resolving, are getting worse, or are spreading, I recommend making an appointment to have Molly seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the lesion you’ve noticed and to make sure they are treated appropriately. The vet will likely want to look at a sample from the area under the microscope to determine if there is an infection and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment.

Ed's skin looks very inflamed. There can be many causes for this including bacterial infections, skin mites, ringworm (which people can get), endocrine disease and allergies. The skin is darkening in response to chronic inflammation and the redness is new inflammation or possible infection. It looks pretty wide spread. I recommend to have him seen by his veterinarian who will most likely prescribe medications to stop the inflammation as well as start the process to figure out the underlying cause. Until you get him into the vet, washing the area daily with an antibacterial hand soap (rinse well) will help to remove dead skin, oil and surface pathogens. Prevent him from licking the area with an elizabethan collar that he should wear any time he is not supervised. Licking will worsen the condition. I hope this helps to point you in the right direction. Please feel free to post any further questions!

I agree that the lesion is concerning. It looks like it could be a bacterial or a yeast infection. I would highly encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian soon. In the meantime bathing in an antimicrobial shampoo such as chlorhexidine or salicylic acid would be a good idea. This can be found in the human shampoo aisle in the dandruff area. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Dogs can get lesions like from a few things but the most common are due to bacteria or ringworm (which humans can get). The bacteria could be a reaction to the perfume but it could be due to many things including just a random infection. I think the Chlorohexidine shampoo would be the best option. Use it on the lesions every other day. Remember to allow ten minutes of contact time before rinsing it as this will maximize the effect. make sure he's not scratching at them. If the lesions don't get much better within 7-10 days or if you see they are getting worse, then have him seen by the veterinarian. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post additional questions.