Why is my dog's black, thick skin making him lick and snap?

Those spots on Riley could be several things including allergies, skin mites, flea bites, ringworm (which humans can get) or a bacterial infection. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesions with soap once a day and rinse well (don't wash his whole body, just those spots). Protect the areas from licking or scratching and he may need to wear and Elizabethan collar at all times. Since he is still licking the lesions, it's hard to know if the changes to the lesions are a sign of recovery or a worsening. You MUST stop the licking. If the lesions don't start looking better within about a week or if they get worse, have him examined again by the veterinarian who may prescribe additional medications. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there. This appears to be hyperpigmentation-where the skin changes color due to increased melanin production in the skin. This can happen due to a few things-chronic yeast infections, allergies, or hormonal fluctuations. I would recommend having Alex seen by your vet to run a few tests to determine the cause. Often the skin changes are permanent to some degree but cause no real damage themselves-we just try to find the inciting cause to prevent further changes. I hope this helps!

I hate to hear this is happening to Halo. In general, those spots on Halo could be several things including allergies to fleas, allergies to something in the environment, food allergy or endocrine disease. Each one of these problems is detected and addressed differently and I recommend to discuss with your veterinarian which one to start hunting down first. Parasites are often ruled out with an oral medication like Simparica. Food allergy is best ruled out with a diet trial using a hydrolyzed protein. Endocrine diseases are detected with blood work. Environmental allergies are a little more difficult to detect but a response to therapy or a blood test can give an indication. Once you figure out and address the underlying cause, the lesions should not come back. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having Halo wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I can certainly see that Moglee has some skin lesions and I'm sorry to hear that they're causing him so much discomfort! These lesions could be a result of a bacterial skin infection (often from underlying allergies to fleas, food or the environment), ringworm or mange. Make sure that he is receiving a high quality flea and tick preventative, such as Nexgard, Bravecto or K9 Advantix II regularly. You can also try bathing him with an antiseptic shampoo (here is one example: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27982). However, if Moglee's skin lesions persist or worsen, I recommend taking him back to his vet for further evaluation. An e-collar (cone) may also be beneficial to preventing further skin irritation from his ongoing licking until this issue resolves. I hope this helps and that Moglee feels better soon!

It looks like he has a severe dermatitis so he needs to be examined by a vet to determine the cause. He may need an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-histamine, and/or other medications and your vet can prescribe. At this point, I don't think over the counter medications are going to treat his problem.

From your pictures, a possible cause might be a lick granuloma. These start for some reason (sometimes a bug bite, a small scratch, or a small skin mass) and the dog licks at them and makes it worse. They lick at it and push surface bacteria deeper which makes it itch, so they lick. It becomes almost a habit like a human biting their fingernails. So- I would recommend a visit to the veterinarian. They can check to make sure that is what it is , make sure that the inciting cause is gone, and do some diagnostics to determine a treatment plan. Has there been any changes to Neo's environment? Sometimes stress can start a lick granuloma or prolong it. Your veterinarian will most likely start antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. They might also recommend increasing his activity in case boredom is a cause. If there is a small skin mass present- they will recommend diagnostics on that. Good luck! Sometimes these take time, so have patience. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This is abnormal and should get seen by your vet soon. This could be some kind of allergy or an obsessive compulsive licking behavior that is causing a lick granuloma (thickening of the tissue). I hope that Braraja's skin issue resolves soon! Best wishes and take care.