My dog has a dark itchy spot and is scooting. Should I see a vet?

She may be coming into heat which could be causing her to feel irritated down there, making her scratch which damages tge skin barrier and can cause skin infection. Or alternatively she has simply got a skin infection. The skin does look inflamed and the dark pigment could just be natural colour change or it could caused by yeast. She looks sore so I would have the vet examine her and determine exactly what microbes ate present in the area and then decide how best to treat. She may just need an antinflammatory or antihistamine but I suspect she will also require an antimicrobial.

Hello, thank you for your question. So, there could be more than one thing going on. All of which Ukie should be evaluated by a veterinarian for. Scooting on the floor is typically consistant with full anal glands, which need to be expressed. Sometimes dogs will lick there genital area if they have a urinary tract infection, which will usually also be acccompanied by frequent unproductive attempts to urinate, straining to urinate, and/or blood in the urine. Another thought is that some dogs can have too much extra skin around the vulva causing it to be “recessed,” which is a fancy way to say the vulva has a skin fold around it. That skin fold can create a dark, moist place for yeast and bacteria to grow and become itchy. We also can’t rule out a primary skin problem. I recommend having Ukie seen by her veterianarian to get to the bottom of her uncofortableness. Hope this helps, I hope Ukie feels better soon!

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) might be needed to solve the problem, but disinfection can possibly be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths (twice daily for 3-4 days should be enough). Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. 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.

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.

Poor Willow! Some dogs can experience pigment changes over time or with chronic inflammation. It's quite possible that the darkening of Willow's anus is a relatively normal change. As you've mentioned, scooting commonly occurs with full anal glands. I'm glad that you have a vet appointment scheduled for her. Your vet will be able to perform a rectal exam to be sure that everything feels normal, as well as empty her anal glands. It should be ok to wait 2 days since that's the next appointment. Full anal glands certainly aren't an emergency, but sometimes the anal glands can become impacted, infected or rupture, which would be a more urgent problem. If you notice any significant swelling or redness on her hind end, I would try to have her checked out sooner. I suppose that it's possible that she could have a perianal fistula, but these occur most commonly in intact male dogs and are often quite red and oozy. It's far more likely that her anal glands are simply bothering her. I hope that all goes well for Willow!

Ouch! That does look pretty irritated. If it's on Rocky's belly or underside, it is possible he's rubbed up against something in the new house or during the move/groom that caused irritation. I would keep the area clean and dry with some pet wipes, and place an Elizabethan (cone) collar on him or a T-shirt to prevent him from licking and chewing the spot as that can cause an increase in irritation. If the area doesn't resolve, worsens, visible sores or wounds appear, or it seems to be changing rapidly, having a vet look in person is best to rule out more serious allergy, getting into something, infections, etc that could be a cause.

Hi, Siobhan. It's possible that this spot could be a part of "puppy pyoderma." Many puppies will get little pustules on their skin as they are growing. It is isn't a concern unless it causes irritation (characterized by itching or licking) or it doesn't appear to heal. If it isn't looking better in a few days, i would take Enzo to the vet for evaluation.