My dog has dark, dry, licked groin spots in winter. What helps?

Hi there. This appears to be hyperpigmentation-where the skin changes color due to increased melanin production in the skin. This can happen due to a few things-chronic yeast infections, allergies, or hormonal fluctuations. I would recommend having Alex seen by your vet to run a few tests to determine the cause. Often the skin changes are permanent to some degree but cause no real damage themselves-we just try to find the inciting cause to prevent further changes. I hope this helps!

Hello. This looks like the typical skin changes seen with many of the allergies pets can suffer from. Unless the underlying allergies are dealt with, it is difficult to totally clear up the skin. You can start with a mild shampoo, either containing Pramoxine or 1% hydrocortisone ( available online & at pet retailers ). Use cool water & bath her twice a week. Adding a good quality fish oil supplement may help ( approx. 1000 mg twice a day ). Since your pet is an older girl, it would be very helpful to do some bloodwork to identify any underlying issues, including a low thyroid, that may be contributing to her skin problems. Hopefully, you can find her some relief soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From the photos, the discoloration looks like it is caused by salivary enzymes from chronic licking. This can be due to an underlying skin infection or environmental/food allergies. Your vet can rule out these conditions with some skin samples and possibly a food trial. I hope this helps!

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.

The brown spots look a bit like flea dirt. If Nala isn’t already in a good-quality monthly flea preventative, then fleas are probably the cause. The red spots look like the start of a pyoderma. you can try a medicated shampoo like the one I can link below, but if it isn’t showing signs of improvement in a week or so, she should get checked out by a vet. If she is licking, then she needs to wear an e-collar until it is resolved. Dechra Mal-a-ket Formulated for Dogs, Cats and Horses Antibacterial and Antifungal Shampoo 8oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AT4CVLC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XwrsFbEYGHFMW

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!