My puppy has red spots on his belly. Are they insect bites? What now?

These are likely fly or insect bites. They should fade in the next day or two. If he begins to itch, contact your veterinarian for a dose of Benadryl (diphenhydramine). Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent licking. These bites are common in the Spring.

Hi there, These appear similar to black fly bites, which appear as dramatic dark red welts, but are otherwise harmless. The skin remains smooth but may be slightly raised or swollen. Google images is helpful on this one! If the skin is itchy, crusting, flaking, and not smooth- that could be a sign of a bacterial or fungal infection that needs diagnostics and treatment. It's not an emergency, but it would be good to have Finn seen this week by his veterinarian to have them evaluated. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It is hard to tell for sure it if both dogs have it I would be most suspicious of black fly bites, which are often just a local irritant. However, the other big concern would be petechia hemorrhages- which could come secondary to things like rat poison exposure! If they are feeling fine and were exposed to flies recently this is more likely but if they seem to feel off or had any other signs of concern it would be safer to take them in!

Thank you for the picture of Chipper's lesion. It appears to be a black fly bite. These lesions from the bite look bad, but typically they do not bother the pet. You don't need to do anything to treat it, these usually go away on their own over time. That being said, if this doesn't improve over the next week, it looks worse, or he's constantly itching it, then he will need to see a vet. I hope this helps!

The most common reason that we will see marks like that show up on the non-haired skin of the abdomen are because of black fly or other insect bites. They do not generally tend to be itchy, but they can be. If any of the areas are becoming swollen, enlarging or appearing to spread, then Apollo should see your veterinarian. Otherwise, the areas tend to fade on their own. https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=7986755 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi there, These look very similar in appearance to black fly bites, which look very dramatic but are truly benign. These are often worst in Spring and Fall seasons. If Pesci is allergic, you would see: facial swelling, full body hives, and severe vomit or diarrhea. This would be a sign he needs emergency medical care. Google both dog black fly bites and dog hives to see the difference in appearance. :) I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to see that Finn is having this problem. I see lesions or spots like this occasionally on dogs in the same areas. Most of the time these spots resolve without treatment but most of the cases I have seen are much more mild with fewer spots. I always wonder whether these are related to some kind of insect sting/spider bites, contact irritation from something in the environment, etc. Some of these lesions or spots can resemble small areas of hemorrhage too which could indicate blood clotting disorders and those causes can be numerous. I would advise your veterinarian evaluate these since Finn has a lot of them. I think that if he is acting completely normal you could monitor this and see if they resolve. So if he acts normal, eats, drinks, uses the bathroom normally you could just see if they resolve. If anything is different, he should be evaluated immediately. I hope this helps and I hope Finn gets well soon.