My golden doodle has dark spots like flea dirt, but I found no fleas.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to see the skin in your pictures but it looks like a rash or comedones. If the reddish black things on her skin flakes off or are loose, wet them on a white tissue. If they melt away to a red streak that is flea poop. Flea dips and shampoos are NOT preventatives for fleas and the fleas that hatch on the carpet will jump right back on the pet. Fleas do not lay eggs on the pet but on the carpet. Bed bugs do not live on animals. I recommend a flea preventative like oral Nexgard, Simparica, Bravecto or topical Advantix ii or the Seresto collar. If there are no live fleas or flea dirt then she likely has a secondary skin infection or rash from an allergic reaction the the fleas. I would have her seen by your Vet so she can be provided relief. Also it looks like she has a paw infection which could be from environmental or food allergies. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Oh she is cute! It does look like she would benefit from a bath. Flea products you can consider include Bravecto, Frontline, among others. The black mass should be evaluated further. 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 her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and best wishes!

If you are seeing flea dirt on Bruce then it's likely with hair loss and based on those pictures that he has flea allergy dermatitis. However, There are other causes of these changes that include food and environmental allergies. I'd recommend taking Bruce to see your veterinarian as it is common to have secondary bacterial skin infections with flea allergy dermatitis. You will also need to use a quality flea preventative like Bravecto, Revolution, or Advantix. Flea preventative should be consistent as it can take as many as 6 months for fully eradicate a flea problem. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Bruce's skin is better soon!

I think you are asking about the areas on the prepuce? If they are flea dirt you should be able to wipe them off easily. If they wipe off and the debris starts to make a wet paper towel turn reddish then likely flea dirt. If you can wipe them off but they do not discolor the white paper towel then likely just dirt/superficial skin secretions. If you can not wipe them off then likely just skin discoration. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This looks like an area of moist dermatitis, or hot spot. They get these from licking or rubbing an area of skin that was irritated from an insect bite, allergy or injury. To treat this I recommend trimming the fur around the area, then cleaning off the discharge with warm water and antibacterial soap. Once it’s rinsed and dried you can apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. The most important thing is to prevent her from scratching or rubbing this area so it can heal. Use a cone if needed. If it’s not improving then I recommend a veterinary exam and treatment. They may give medication to prevent the itching, and possible a topical spray or ointment to dry up the skin. Hot spots are common in Goldens so I’d have a cone and medication on hand to treat these at home before they get bad. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Daisy.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. About 99/100 times if a dog comes to the vet clinic with something like this they also have fleas. If you don't have him on a good flea prevention then he is likely scratching this location due to fleas. I do think I see some "flea dirt" in the photo. I strongly recommend you get him to the vet for an exam. If he has fleas you need to get a good prescription flea prevention. Also, this type of lesion almost always needs oral antibiotics and some type of oral antiinflammatory to stop the itch cycle for it to heal. As long as he keeps scratching it, it will not heal no matter what you apply topically. If you choose to try and treat it yourself at home, you can use this hot spot spray gel 3- 4 times per day. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/3-oz-3-fl-oz-hot-spot-antimicr-2877113 ) You will also need to get some dog boots to put on his back feet so if he tries to scratch the area it won't continue to traumatize the skin. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/search?query=dog%20boots ) If you do this at home for about 5-7 days and there is no improvement or it looks worse at any time then he needs to see the vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a skin infection. You can try to use a medicated shampoo containing chlorhexidine twice weekly for 2 weeks. If there is no improvement or in the meantime this appears to be getting worse, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!