My dog has a red rash after camping. What is it and will it heal?
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Golden Retriever | Male | neutered | 1 year old | 65 lbs
My dog has developed a red rash near his groun area. He has been licking the area but it is not constant and doesn’t appear to be causing other discomfort. We were camping in the woods approximately one week ago but otherwise our routine has stayed the same. I was wondering what may be wrong and if it will likely go away on its own?
Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the photos and your description, I suspect what you are seeing may be due to insect bites such as ants. If this is just inflammation from insect bites and not an infection, it will likely clear up on its own. I would recommend using a product such as Malacetic Conditioning spray which can be found online quite easily or a steroid spray from PetCo and apply to the area twice daily until resolved. If pustules begin to form or the rash spreads / worsens, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Bentley so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!