Why is my dog's vulva turning black and blue? Is it an emergency?

Hello. I would not consider this an emergency and scheduling an appointment with your veterinarian should be fine. These bumps may indicate an infection or they may be some small growths or cysts. Your veterinarian will get a better idea with an exam. They may want to do a fine needle aspirate if they are leaning towards a growth or cyst. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope you get all of the information you need when you see your veterinarian.

Hi, she is probably suffering with incontinence, do you ever see any urine after she lies down or in the morning after her sleep ? I would also rule out a urinary tract infection with a simple urine test. The incontinence can be easily cured with some medications from your vet. Those areas around her vagina that have turned black are likely secondary to the incontinence and the care from your other dog. I don’t think you should worry about these signs before your holidays but the sooner you get her seen and started on the meds and the more comfortable she will be.

The black coloring is a pigment that the skin produces when it is chronically inflamed. Most often the skin gets like this when there is an untreated bacterial or yeast infection of the skin. I suggest you try wiping the area 2-3 times per day with these medicated pads. If no improvement after a week or so, then get her back to the vet as they may have to do some testing of the skin. ( https://www.allivet.com/p-8167-vetraseb-ck-antiseptic-wipes-ps-for-dogs-and-cats-60-wipes.aspx ) If she is licking the area you will need to get her a cone collar to stop that. No matter what you do to treat the area it will not get better if she continues to lick it. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/category/dog/dog-health-and-wellness/dog-ecollars?ddkey=https%3ASearchDisplay ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

It could be pigmentation, but I would want to be certain that she doesn't have a heart condition that is compromising her circulation. Blue/grey coloring of mucous membranes (which the vulva is) suggest low oxygen states, as can be seen with certain heart conditions, many that are present from birth. Please ask your vet to make sure that he listens to her heart very closely and is sure that everything is normal. If her heart is normal, he should consider whether she has a mild case of vaginitis that is causing the sensivity.

It could be a bacterial infection or a yeast infection. Generally these occur just due to the nature of the skin in the area--the environment is dark in the skin folds, and there is some moisture from the skin and sometimes from urine as well. If it is not bothering her (she is definitely not licking at it, etc) it could also be just waxy secretions/plugged hair follicles, etc. You can try using just plain Witch Hazel (available at any pharmacy) on a cotton swab or pad once or twice a day for a few days to see if that helps; however if it does not help or if this seems to irritate her skin further or if she does not like it when you do this, DO NOT CONTINUE TO ATTEMPT THIS METHOD. Take her to the vet. And if you do try just cleaning it at home, take her in if you aren't seeing an improvement within 2-3 days. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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!


This could be an infection but could rarely indicate a type of skin tumor like a mast cell tumor. You can try to keep her from licking the area and apply an antibiotic ointment to see if it helps. However if it gets worse, does not improve, she has any vaginal discharge and/or odor it can indicate a more serious problem and she needs to be seen by a veterinarian