My dog's tummy has black spots. Are they blackheads or blocked pores?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. From what you are describing these sound like comedones, or clogged pores. A comedone is similar to a pimple, in that it is a collection of oily material in a pore. It is black because of exposure to oxygen and accumulation of debris. Comedones may be a sign of a skin issue such as mites, or over-secretion of oils, but they can also be signs of an underlying hormonal disease such as Cushing's disease. As long as they are not irritating to your dog, there is no need to try to get rid of them. Comedones may be reduced by use of benzoyl peroxide shampoos, which have “follicular flushing action,” the ability to go down inside pores and hair follicles and remove foreign material. I recommend contacting your regular veterinarian who may recommend a medicated shampoo, and/or may recommend that your dog be seen for an exam and bloodwork to evaluate for any underlying diseases that may be related to his/her comedones. I hope this is helpful!

It sounds like your dog has a skin infection. Usually infections are characterized by small red pustules full of pus. But sometimes they can look like whiteheads or blackheads, also known as comedones. Your dog will likely need a medicated shampoo to help flush out his hair follicles that have become clogged and often times need antibiotics to help the infection cleared up. There is a chance as well that this may not be an infection but maybe small cysts that are present. If this is the case usually no treatment is needed. A picture for reference would help us determine if an infection is present or if it is just a cyst. I hope this helps. Thanks For using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi and thanks for posting! Thank you for sending along a picture as well. From your picture, it looks to me like comedones or otherwise known as blackheads which occur when the hair follicle becomes clogged. Usually these can be treated with certain medicated shampoos that contain benzoyl peroxide in them to help flush out the follicle. Be sure to purchase these shampoos from your veterinarian as dogs can be especially sensitive to human shampoos and other human hygiene products. I hope this helps!

Dogs can get blackheads and clogged pores just like humans. Picking and squeezing them often lead to increased inflammation and can lead to infection so I recommend to leave them alone. There is not one easy solution to get rid of pore issues. You do want to improve skin health and this can be done by feeding a diet aimed at skin health and adding additional omega-3 fatty acids for dogs to the diet. The two diets I recommend for skin health are Royal Canin and Nutro. You are not likely to find an over-the-counter shampoo that can flush the pores but your veterinarian likely carries one like Peroxiderm. Lastly, your veterinarian will also carry medicated wipes that you can use on the area that are safe if Rhino happens to look at them, although you should prevent Rhino from licking these areas in general. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Some of those look like they could be black heads. I think its more like hyperpigmentation which happens in dogs. Both are benign and nothing to worry about. try using a peroxiderm type shampoo on Coco, it has actions to clean out pores and exfoliate skin so it would help with either of those conditions.

Hello. These look like comedones, similar to black heads in people. Do not squeeze as this could cause an infection. Try & locate a benzoyl peroxide based shampoo ( pet or human ) & gently wash the area. Try to leave the shapoo on for 5-10 minutes & do not let Simba lick the soap. Rinse & dry him. To can repeat this 2-3 time a week until the skin clears. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Some older pets with endocrine disease develop comedones which are keratin deposit in open pores (i.e. Blackhead). However, the skin around a comedone is not swollen. You may have caused inflammation by attempting to remove it yourself or it could be infected. The best thing to do is leave it alone and follow up with your veterinarian if the selling fails to resolve.