My Golden has red spots on belly. What causes them & how to treat?

This looks like an area of moist dermatitis, or hot spot. They get these from licking or rubbing an area of skin that was irritated from an insect bite, allergy or injury. To treat this I recommend trimming the fur around the area, then cleaning off the discharge with warm water and antibacterial soap. Once it’s rinsed and dried you can apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on it. The most important thing is to prevent her from scratching or rubbing this area so it can heal. Use a cone if needed. If it’s not improving then I recommend a veterinary exam and treatment. They may give medication to prevent the itching, and possible a topical spray or ointment to dry up the skin. Hot spots are common in Goldens so I’d have a cone and medication on hand to treat these at home before they get bad. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Daisy.

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 treat with a high quality flea treatment, then 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). 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!

It may be chronic changes to the skin from allergies or from an infection. Without actually seeing her skin I cannot say exactly what it is. You can always upload up to 3 pictures when submitting a question. I would call your veterinarian and ask what the spots were on her belly. I would also recheck the thyroid level if you are concerned. A lot can change in a year. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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 treat with a high quality flea treatment, then 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!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a focal infection. These are called pustules and likely contain pus. You can try to use a medicated shampoo containing chlorhexidine twice weekly for 2 weeks. If there is no improvement or in the meantime this appears to be getting worse, have her evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and best wishes!

Thanks for using PetCoach! The pictures didn’t come out very well on my end for some reason but these could be pyodermas small skin infections). This is usually due to underlying allergies. Allergies commonly appear at age 2-4 but can develope at any time. If that is the case, they are usually environmental but if you’ve switched food or added a new treat in the last few weeks, that could be a cause too. Finally, new shampoo, change in laundry soap, etc can also cause this to flare up. Treatment is topical (including medicated shampoo) or oral antibiotics and addressing underlying allergies of needed. It is also possible that these spots are mites or ringworm, insect bites, or other. Try Benedryl (see link below) and a medicated shampoo like Duoxo Calm first if you like. Bathe twice weekly during a flare up, then every 1-2 weeks for maintenance. If no improvement in a week (or worsening at any time) it’s time to see the vet for a better diagnosis and treatment. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl Best of luck to you and Oliver!

It looks like there may be a small skin infection (called pyoderma). You can use a medicated shampoo like Dechra Malacetic Ultra Otic, but if it doesn't look better in 72 hours, your pup may need oral antibiotics to clear the infection.