My dog's skin mole suddenly turned purple. What should I do?

Based on the photos, I am concerned that the purple area is some bleeding/bruising in the skin which we often see when a dog has low platelets. I'm not sure based on the photo, but I suspect the white area is a nipple that just looks really prominent due to the bruising around it. Low platelets are a very serious problem; even though he's otherwise acting fine, please take him to your vet to have him examined. They may recommend running some lab work to find our what his platelet count is. There are many causes of low platelets, some possible causes include an infectious tick-borne disease, an auto-immune disease where his body is destroying his platelets, or cancer. Because all of these are very serious, and because low platelets can lead to life threatening anemia, please take him to your vet. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

If your dog has recently been in an accident or possibly ingested a toxic substance, blue or purple discoloration can be caused by bruising or internal hemorrhaging. Otherwise, this could be a condition called cutaneous hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation is seldom a disorder in its own right, but rather a result of another medical condition. This can include conditions such as bacterial infections, [allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/canine-allergies/), [Cushing's disease](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/cushing-s-disease/) and [obesity](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/obesity/). Inflammation is typically responsible for the emergence of hyperpigmentation, unless your dog is a Dachshund. Hyperpigmentation is a primary disorder for Dachshunds. Signs of [hyperpigmentation](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/pigment-changes-of-the-skin-and-coat) include a dark purple, blue, or sometimes black or pale brown color to the abdomen, limbs, and groin. Texture changes may also occur to the skin, in which case you will notice the skin becoming more dense and course. Regardless of the cause, I recommend that you have your dog examined by your veterinarian to determine the underlying cause of the color change in your dog's skin.

Dogs can definitely start to have hair that turns white or grey with age, usually around the face and head. I'm not sure about your description of purple/white skin under the hair on his head - this has me a little worried he could have a bruise. If you think his head could look consistent with a bruise, or if the purple areas are raised I would recommend seeing a veterinarian. Bruising can be a sign of a bleeding disorder and should be addressed right away.

Yes. Purplish discoloration can indicate inflammation but if it looks like bruising, that can indicate internal bleeding. Best to get her checked out today! I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Blue and purple spots could be bruises and if they are spreading I would be worried that your dog may have a coagulation problem. This would be very serious and would need to be investigated. A small blood test will find out whether your dog is either suffering from a congenital blood coagulation disorder or possibly ate some rodenticide which can cause the blood not to coagulate. Of course it could also just be hyperpigmentation. There are various causes for that, one being an endocrine disorder where the adrenal glands produce too much cortisone (cushings disease). I would recommend you make an appointment for an exam with your veterinarian.

Hello, sorry to hear about Nala. Most often, those slow growing moles are typically benign, just that some may grow larger than others. However, rarely, some of these moles may become or turn into something more aggressive. Dark colored bumps can be melanomas or hemangiosarcomas amongst other types of tumors. The best way to tell wether this bump is something you should worry about is to have it sampled or removed before it gets too big. Schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to have the lump sampled and potentially removed. Once removed it can be submitted for biopsy to confirm that it is either benign or malignant. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I am sorry to hear about Ajay! It sounds like he is having some issues that likely require a visit to a vet. We can see darkening of the skin as a result of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, after an irritation or skin infection, but I also worry if you think the skin looked purple if we could have some sort of clotting issue going on, which is a much more serious concern. For this reason. If you feel the area appeared bruised at all or if you have noticed other purple or red spots on his skin or his gums, he should be seen by a vet ASAP. Scabs at the entrance of the ear could be a sign of an ear infection that requires an ear swab to identify if we have bacteria, yeast, or mites in the ear and then a prescription for medication.