Why is my dog's rear end dark and she keeps licking and scratching?

There can be lots of reasons to lick back there. Allergies are the most common cause, and it could be a reaction to flea bites, foods, or the environment. Intestinal parasites and anal gland issues can also cause irritation. Licking can also be seen during the heat cycle of intact females.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Valkrie. She appears to have salivary staining around her hind quarters. When a dog licks inflamed skin excessively, the saliva stains the hair brown. This is why you are not able to wash her coat clean. The cause of her itching needs to be identified and controlled. Then she will stop licking allowing the skin to heal. She could have an allergy to something in her environment, diet or even to fleas. Anal gland issues can cause irritation in the same area. She will need to see her veterinarian to determine the best course of treatment. The cough can be addressed at the same visit. She may have an upper respiratory tract infection or be irritated from all the hair from licking. In the meantime, place an E-collar on her to prevent further licking. I hope this information helps!

I'm sorry to hear that Bella has been so itchy. In dogs, itching can be caused by a variety of different conditions, with the most common including underlying allergies, fleas, ringworm, or mange. When dogs scratch, they damage the outermost layers of the skin barrier, which can lead to the onset of a skin infection. Infections then causes further itching, creating a vicious cycle. The skin on Bella's neck and the inside of her knee do look as though it may be infected. Chronic inflammation, endocrine/hormonal disorders, and autoimmune conditions can all lead to the dark pigment change with the skin thickening that's visible in the pictures. (We call this lichenification and it resembles elephant skin.) The persistence of Bella's itching could certainly lead to such chronic inflammation. Regardless, it's really important that Bella is examined by a vet so that appropriate treatment can be started. Your vet may need to do some skin testing to check for microscopic evidence of infection, as well as checking for mange (caused by mites) or ringworm (a fungal infection). Then, based on those results, they'll be able to prescribe medications to help her feel better. I hope that she's on the mend soon!

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.

It sounds like she has developed dermatitis of some kind, it could be due to reaction to the dog's saliva licking her. Or sometimes the rubbing when they mate can irritate the skin. I would take Bella in to the vet so it can be tested to see what bugs are involved in the infection and how best to treat it.

The dark area is likely just urine or saliva staining if she licks a lot. The area doesn’t look irritated but I would monitor her for signs of infection. Have her seen by a vet if she starts rubbing with more frequency or has urinary changes.

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!