My dog has a rash near his penis. What could it be and what to do?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Rashes around a penis are typically either caused by allergies to something he is lying on (grass, bedding, etc.), bug bites on the abdomen (ants in the grass), or from a urinary issue where he would be dribbling urine, or licking at his penis making the skin around it wet, and therefore getting a secondary skin infection. I recommend having it seen by a vet if it is irritating Dice or looks infected (any yellow/green discharge, any open wounds, etc). If it is just a little bit red, then I would recommend an E-collar to prevent self-trauma and licking which is likely making it worse, and just washing the area with water and drying it very well. Getting a urine sample checked by your vet is a good idea, especially if Dice is peeing more than usually, or straining to pee, or if there is any red discolouration of the pee. Best of luck with Dice.

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!

This looks like a localised spot of skin infection which can be easily treated its antibiotic and antiinflammatory ointment on prescription from your veterinarian. The fact that he is licking his paw as well can be due to an allergy, which possibly can be considered in case infection is not resolved with treatment trial. I would recommend a check up at your local vet to confirm this clinical suspicion and treat appropriately. Hope this answer was helpful but please do not hesitate to contact us again in case you want to discuss this problem any further.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to 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). The following products can be found online and can be tried as a first line approach: Douxo PS Calm shampoo, Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent, Krillex Krill oil chews. 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!

As long as he is acting normal and urinating normal, I suspect this may just be a little bit of contact dermatitis. A little cocker puppy is low to the ground, so Charlie will be rubbing on grass when he goes outside and possibly picking up allergens and moisture. You can bath him with a mild puppy shampoo to see if that helps the redness. If he is licking excessively or having any difficulty urinating then he may need to see a vet.

This looks like local irritation or infection. You would need to have Belle physically examined by your veterinarian, though, for confirmation. In the meantime, keep the area clean and dry. You can use pet wipes or plain, unscented baby wipes to gently clean the area. Dry thoroughly afterwards. A small amount of plain cornstarch will work to keep the folds in her skin dry. An e-collar (cone) should be used to prevent further licking. This, along with cleaning, may be enough to allow healing, but if not then Belle will need to be seen by your vet. Monitor for lethargy, excessive urination, difficulty urinating or spread of the rash.

Was there any chance Gunter had trauma to that area such as being hit by a car or laying on hot pavement at some point. That is a typical lesion comparable to road rash or an abrasion of some sort. The swelling may be edema or a possible hernia in the muscle wall causing the swelling if there was trauma. Because a hernia can be life threatening it is best if he is seen by a vet to check for that. You can keep the area clean with cool water and apply an antibiotic cream to help until you can get him seen. Make sure you monitor for urination since the swelling is close to his prepuce and penis.