My dog has bumps near his penis. Are they mites? How to diagnose and treat?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely a small focus of infection or pustule. Sometimes these do occur in puppies and go away on their own. Sometimes it does require antibiotics to take care of it. You can bathe him with a medicated shampoo containing chlorhexidine which you may get at your local pet store. You can bathe him twice weekly for 2 weeks. If it does not improve, have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. While this could be something benign, there is a possibility of it being malignant which is why it needs to be taken care of. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

Mites are just one possible cause of itching and hair loss, however they wouldn't necessarily cause "lumped up" spots on the skin. You may be seeing hives, which are due to some type of an allergic reaction. The first thing to do would be to schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. Discuss allergy testing, hydrolyzed diets, food elimination trials, parasite control and antihistamine use with the vet. Any potential treatment will depend on the underlying cause. In the meantime, place an e-collar (cone) on Axel to prevent excessive licking or chewing. You can also treat for fleas using a topical preventive (Frontline, Advantix, etc.) or an oral preventive (CapStar, Comfortis, Bravecto, Credelio, etc.). Vacuum everywhere indoors and dispose of the bag or empty the canister outdoors immediately afterwards. Wash all bedding in the hottest water allowable by fabric and dry in a dryer. Use an area treatment, such as Indorex or Knockout ES, to prevent or treat any flea infestation.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Mites are microscopic. If you can see something it isn't mites. Vets diagnose the mites by doing a skin scrape and looking under the microscope. There are 2 types of dog mites: Demodex and Scabies. I treat them with the monthly flea and tick preventatives Nexgard or Simparica or the every 3 month oral Bravecto. I wish you the best!

As these skin changes are symmetrical and appear non-reactive, they are likely normal for your dog. They could be malformed nipples or just a general unique change of skin. I would observe them for changes in size and color and should they change or start to ooze you will need to have them examined by a veterinarian. Flea treatment is good, but you also need to treat the environment: Get flea powder, put some in your vacuum cleaner bag and vacuum your house and furniture and also non-carpeted areas frequently to remove flea larvae and eggs which live off house dust., Dispose of the bag in the trash outside. Hot-wash all the pet's bedding, If you do this diligently for a few months besides treating your puppy, you will get rid of the fleas.

This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. + I would recommend the following: + Flea treatment should be prescribed by a veterinarian. It is often combined with lungworm/intestinal worm treatment. Ensure all pets in the house are up to date and treated as per the frequency recommended + If your parasite treatment has lapsed, or you have an infestation, treat the house with an insecticide spray such as RIP flea/Acclaim/Indorex/Frontline house spray. These sprays are toxic to cats and reptiles/fish/birds so please follow the instructions on the bottles carefully + If the itching continues despite the above it would be recommended to start on a hydrolysed food trial with Purina HA, Hills z/d, or Royal Canin Anallergenic for 6-8weeks. This must be fed strictly and exclusively to see if it works, which means absolutely no treats or human foods otherwise the results are inconclusive + If all of this makes no difference then you will need to discuss investigations into environmental allergies with your vet, or be referred to a dermatologist + If a food allergy is ruled out then consider a skin diet (Royal Canin skin/Hills Derm Defence) or a skin supplement such as Yuderm, to help boost the skin barrier and prevent/reduce flare ups in the future. The following products can be found online and can be tried as a first line approach: Douxo PS Calm shampoo, Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent, Krillex Krill oil chews.

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). 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.