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What are these black dots on my puppy's penis after eating rawhide?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Border Collie | Male | unneutered | 2 months and 11 days old | 35 lbs

Hi, very strange question. Perhaps I’m just over reacting. My puppy has black dots on his penis and in the little hair that extends off from it. They aren’t freckles, they aren’t fleas. My biggest concern is that it’s dried blood. I watched him pee and it didn’t seem like blood was coming out though. A few days ago he ate a piece off a rawhide bone and had a bad reaction to it. He has seemed better since then, but I read that rawhide can cause certain internal issues with puppies.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Linda G,  MS, DVM

Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on September 28th, 2017

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The single biggest concern we have with rawhide is the possibility of an intestinal blockage if too large a piece is swallowed. There have been some reports of salmonella associated with rawhide imported from China, but not so much recently. This would have resulted in diarrhea, anyway. Make sure the dots on his penis are not caked on dirt, or simply pigment in the hair & skin. It would be very unlikely that you are seeing blood caked in that area unless there had been a significant bleed from a laceration. If he is active, eating & drinking well, it is probably nothing. Make sure you mention your concerns to your veterinarian at Hodor's next scheduled puppy visit.
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