Why is my dog's groin black, smelly, and he keeps licking it?

This could be hyperpigmentation secondary to infection (bacterial or yeast), allergies (food, environmental, etc.) Or endocrine disorders. You can use an e-collar (cone) to prevent licking. Keep the area clean and dry. Your veterinarian may provide a definitive diagnosis after a physical exam. A fish oil supplement may be recommended to promote healthy skin and coat. https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/acanthosis-nigricans/

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.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection (like yeast) or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, 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). Hope this answer was helpful, but 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hello, my name is Dr. Shines and I am happy to help. Looking at the photo I see 4-5 distinct black dots that look to be the pore opening of his teats (they match on both sides so that's how you know). I also see darker skin discoloration around his prepuce. Sometimes this darker discoloration is natural and happens as they age. Sometimes it can indicate a thyroid disorder. Sometimes it indicates allergies. If Yogi doesn't seems bothered by it, it's not itching and he's not excessively licking it, it's probably normal. If it's looking red at all or he's licking at it, then I start to suspect one of the other two causes. Sometimes improving over all skin health can help. For that I recommend a fatty acid like Welactin and a potentially a diet change to Royal Canin or Nutro (both great diets for skin). It will take about 6 weeks to be effective. Washing him in an oatmeal type doggie shampoo and conditioner can also help. If that's not helping, make an appointment for an examine. Sometimes they need stronger medication or they need a blood test for the thyroid. I hope this helps and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.

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.

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.

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!