My golden has black spots on her belly, gained weight. Is it thyroid?

Hello. It looks like Yukon has some reaction on his skin, but it is impossible to say if this is a mild bacterial infection or an allergic response to something like the grass. It would be best to contact your veterinarian to examine the skin, & then an appropriate medication, shampoo or spray will probably be dispensed to address this. This should clear up the skin pretty quickly. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This may be due to a skin infection or even an thyroid imbalance or may be normal discoloration as this happens in some dogs. The only way to know is to have your vet check the skin and do a blood test to determine if there is a problem.

This looks like a mild bacterial skin infection. Dogs can get this from laying on damp ground. Often it will go away on its own. You can bathe the area with antibacterial shampoo once or twice weekly to help it heal more quickly. Since she’s not bothered by it I’m not overly concerned. Should it worsen please take her in for an exam. She may need oral antibiotics if is gets bad. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Marley.

Without a photo or examining her myself it is hard to say what is going on. I have two thoughts that came to mind after reading your post. One is that those spots could be post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation - basically the skin was inflamed maybe from the previous allergies and because of the inflammation the skin turns black. This should resolve and the skin will go back to normal. My other thought is that the spots could be actually bruising and we call those ecchymosis. This could be a serious problem even if she seems to be acting normal. This is a problem with the clotting cells called platelets (immune mediated thrombocytopenia). Of course, it could be something else entirely. Those are just my first thoughts. I suggest you get Kaya to your vet for an exam just to be safe. Hope this helps.

Change in pigmentation, early stages of yeast or bacterial infection can cause these kind of spots. Yeast (usually Malassezia spp.) can cause accumulation of black discharge, often very persistently attached to skin. Disinfection can eventually be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid licking (if any). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

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!

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. 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!