My dog's vulva is red and swollen during heat. Is it diaper rash?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like your pet has a case of vaginitis, inflammation of the vagina, or she has an ongoing discharge, possibly due to an infection in the cervix or uterus. She may need antibiotics, especially if she is off her appetite, drinking an excesssive amount of water &/ or peeing a lot, or seems unhappy or lethargic. Otherwise, if she seems normal, give her a few days to see if things begin to clear up. You can use warm water, or a gentle facial wipe to keep the area clean, & monitor for any further changes. Hopefully, all will be normal soon. Take care.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to see that Skye is having some problems. A skin rash can be caused by many things including a bacterial skin infection secondary to fleas, ticks, mites, allergies, contact irritants in her environment, drug reactions, reactions to flea/tick products, skin reactions to intestinal worms, nutritional problems etc. I see she is not spayed but don't have an age. The swelling near her vagina/vulva looks like the beginning stages of her heat cycle. Swelling occurs first then they will develop the bloody discharge of the heat cycle. I would advise a good Oatmeal shampoo without detergents/soap and a good Oatmeal conditioner for her, a good flea/tick product, and a good diet. If the rash continues or she becomes very itchy, I would advise taking her to your veterinarian and let them evaluate her and possibly recommend some tests to diagnose what the problem is. There are skin tests that can be performed if mites or fungal organisms are suspected. Once a diagnosis is made, they can advise a sound treatment plan. Monitor her for signs of heat- swelling, bloody discharge, decreased appetite, wanting to roam, odd behavior, etc. You can talk to your veterinarian about spaying her also. Good luck with Skye.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks like a focal infection. You can try to use chlorhexidine containing pads (such as the Douxo chlorhexidine 3% PS pads) to clean the are twice daily for 7 days. You may find these online or at your local pet store. 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 have a good night!


Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is likely saliva staining. Often times licking usually means itchiness which in turn could potentially be due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. Her swollen vulva and the blood tinged discharge are consist with her heat cycle starting. However, the lesion in the pictures is abnormal. She could have traumatized herself by licking. If there is tissue protruding from her vagina, then I worry about a prolapse. If the area enlarges or seems to bother her, then she will need to see her veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

This looks like a vaginal prolapse. That is when the vagina turns inside out. This is very swollen and needs to be lubricated and then manipulated back into place. You can clean it gently with a warm wet cloth, then apply KY Jelly to it or Vaseline to protect the sensitive skin from injury, then I'd bring her in tomorrow morning to get this examined and treated. I'm afraid if you leave this it may not get back to normal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Piper.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What you are describing sounds as if the folds of skin around the vulva are red inside. This happens commonly when urine get a trapped in the skin folds and causes irritation. It is especially common in dogs with excessive skin over the vulva and can even predispose to urinary tract infections. I would recommend using malacetic conditioning spray, mal a ket wipes or preva wipes to keep the skin around the vulva clean. If this worsens or does not resolve, I would recommend having her examined by a veterinarian. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.