My dog has a purple scalp and white hair. Should I be worried?

If your pup has been scratching or chewing at the spot, it could be getting red/purplish from irritation. Bruising may also cause a purplish color to appear. Since the site is changing in appearance, it is best to have it rechecked with your vet to make sure there aren't new problems, such as an infection or growth, causing the change. You may also want to use an Elizabethan (cone) collar or T-shirt on your pup to stop her from licking and chewing at it until you can get to the vet. If your pup seems very distressed, or the color is rapidly growing and changing, seeking vet care ASAP is best.

Based on the photos, I am concerned that the purple area is some bleeding/bruising in the skin which we often see when a dog has low platelets. I'm not sure based on the photo, but I suspect the white area is a nipple that just looks really prominent due to the bruising around it. Low platelets are a very serious problem; even though he's otherwise acting fine, please take him to your vet to have him examined. They may recommend running some lab work to find our what his platelet count is. There are many causes of low platelets, some possible causes include an infectious tick-borne disease, an auto-immune disease where his body is destroying his platelets, or cancer. Because all of these are very serious, and because low platelets can lead to life threatening anemia, please take him to your vet. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and entrusting us with your pup's health. This could be razor burns or perhaps just minor trauma from the shaving. This could have happened just from shaving which I understand can be quite challenging in this breed. I advise to keep a close eye on it. If no improvement is noted, have your veterinarian take a look at it to ensure that there is nothing to worry about based on its appearance as it is hard to know without looking at it more extensively. Best of luck with your pup!

If the patches appear to be normal hair then I would not worry about it too much. He may be getting some gray hair which is completely normal as a dog ages. If however there are patches of hair loss or Magoo seems excessively itchy in these areas then he may be having an issue with allergies.

It is normal for the hair coat to thin out and then appear bald in places after the puppies are weaned. The change in color and odor can be a sign of an infection though. You can try a medicated bath until you can get her to the vet to check for an infection

It is hard to say from a photo but it looks like necrotic skin - maybe from a spider (or other insect) bite/sting. I would suggest a vet visit - not an emergency. That black skin is necrotic (basically dying skin) and usually antibiotics are needed to keep it from getting infected. Hope this helps.

This do tend to grey as they age and is definitely something I wouldn't worry about. Keep in mind that a dog is considered a senior around seven years of age. However, this does appear more leukotrichia, which is a disorder where the hair turns white. It's not harmful, but could continue to progress and cause Alfie to have a whiter face. If you are happening to notice any problems with his skin, then it would be best to have a vet examine him, because the hair can change color with damage to the skin. I hope that helps and all is well with Alfie.