What is this smooth red spot with a white center on my dog's skin?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Feliz and for providing a picture, it's very helpful Black fly bites look awful, as the one in the picture on him shows, but they are not dangerous and typically heal on their own with no intervention. Sometimes they can be itchy to the dog, but typically it just looks really bad but causes no pain or issues. I hope this helps.

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. This could possibly be a black fly bite. If this is the only lesion Peppa has you can try applying this hot spot gel spray to the affected area two to three times per day until it resolves. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/3-oz-3-fl-oz-hot-spot-antimicr-2877113 ) If there are more of these lesions, more lesions come up in the next few days or this one lesion gets worse or does not resolve in about 7 days then you need to take Peppa to your vet for an exam. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Most often when we see a lesion like this on the skin it is the result of an insect bite, in particular a biting fly such as a black fly. If your dog is acting normally then I would just monitor the area. If the lesion grows in size, becomes raised or oozes a discharge, or your dog develops many more lesions, becomes lethargic or very itchy a vet exam is recommended.

From the appearance in those photos, I suspect those are black fly bites. They can cause pretty dramatic round red lesions that are flat (not raised). While they look impressive, Gnocchi shouldn't be bothered by them. They will gradually go away (it can take a week or two) and are not dangerous. I hope this helps!

It is hard to tell for sure it if both dogs have it I would be most suspicious of black fly bites, which are often just a local irritant. However, the other big concern would be petechia hemorrhages- which could come secondary to things like rat poison exposure! If they are feeling fine and were exposed to flies recently this is more likely but if they seem to feel off or had any other signs of concern it would be safer to take them in!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! It appears that the pink target lesion is a black fly bite. If it is, it should fade in 3 days. It doesn't cause any pain and isn't anything to be worried about. If more areas pop up and he isn't outside then he should be seen by a Vet. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=102899&id=7986755 Have a great day!

Hello, thank you for your question about Buddy. Based on the photos that you have attached I think that it is very possible that this lesion could be a bug/spider bite. It is also possible that Buddy was exposed to something irritating to his skin. If he is not bothered at the area and it does not seem very painful I would recommend continuing to monitor him. If the lesion progresses or he develops any additional symptoms I would have Buddy evaluated by your veterinarian. Hope this helps, good luck!