Why is the skin around my dog's eyes turning black? What's the cause?

I recommend to get Cookie checked out by the veterinarian. A sudden change in pigment can indicate something like allergies, skin mites or hormonal changes related to hypothyroidism or Cushing’s disease. The doctor may get some clues of the physical exam and diagnostics can be run to tell you what is happening with Cookie. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

This is generally speaking related to excessive eye discharge as the fatty component of tears is the one that stains the most. Excessive discharge can be caused by a variety of causes, being eyelid and conjunctival inflammations and infections the most common ones. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotic eye drops may be needed. 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The little area of discoloration is not necessarily anything to worry about. I see this commonly with time with dark skinned animals. As long as the skin does not seem irritated and the discoloration does not happen on the nose itself, I am inclined to just continue to watch it. Apply a dab of children’s sunscreen lotion before she goes outside to protect that area from sunburn. Best wishes to you and Luna!

Oh dear, poor Gidget! Some of the most common causes of hair loss and black discoloration of the skin around the eyes include allergies, ringworm, and mange. Skin discoloration can occur as a result of chronic irritation and inflammation of the skin. If Gidget is scratching at her face or rubbing it on the ground, I recommend putting an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent further hair loss and also to prevent injury to her eyes that could occur from her scratching/rubbing. Otherwise, the best thing that you can do is to take her to her vet for an exam. The vet may need to perform a skin scrape (to check for the presence of the mites that cause mange) or a fungal culture (to check for ringworm). Based upon their exam and test findings, they will be able to prescribe the best medication for Gidget, whether it is an antifungal, anti-parasitic, antibiotic, or anti-inflammatory medication. I hope that all goes well for Gidget!

We can occasionally see pigmentary changes so if the area is not raised and not irritated I would just continue to monitor. You can try some snout soother https://naturaldogcompany.com/product-category/products/snout-soother/ on her nose. If it persists an exam at the vet is recommended. We can sometimes see a dry nose if a dog's tear production is decreased as the tears normally flow from the nasolacrimal duct which carries them from the corner of the eyelid out to the nostril.

Hi and thanks for posting on PeCoach. This looks like a minor pigmentary change in the eyelid. This is not uncommon and usually isn't a concern. If you notice the area is becoming very red, irritated, or starts spreading, then you will want to take Sky to see her veterinarian to have this evaluated.

There can be several causes for pigment change. The most common causes are low grade allergies, hereditary aging changes, endocrine disease or superficial infection. If Pathy shows any evidence of infection or irritation, I recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian. At home you can try giving him an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets but it may not correct the underlying cause. This can however improve over all skin health. There are two brands of food, Royal Canin and Nutro, which are aimed at skin health and they may help as well but again, they may not affect the underlying problem. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.