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My dog has a red spot on her belly. Could it be a tick bite or Lyme?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Female | spayed | 1 year and 3 months old | 14 lbs

I have a 1 year old bichon/toy poodle mix. I just found this red spot on her belly. We live in southern NJ. Is this a tick bite? Should I be worried about Lyme’s?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Shaneez Wallani, DVM

Answered By Shaneez Wallani, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 28th, 2019

Skin lesions like Coco has can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, an insect bite like you mentioned, or a combination of the above. I recommend making an appointment to have Coco seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the lesion you’ve noticed and to make sure it is treated appropriately. The vet will likely want to look at a sample from the area under the microscope to determine if there is an infection and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment. In the meantime, you can bathe Coco in hypoallergenic shampoo for dogs to clean the area, but this will likely not resolve the lesion.I recommend getting Coco on parasite prevention year round. Please see the link below for more information about ticks:
https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952474
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