My dog has a discolored bald patch on her side. Should I worry?

This looks like hyperpigmentation. It typically occurs in lightly pigmented, sparsely haired regions as dogs get older. It can also be caused my inflammation so just make sure she is not spending too much time sunbathing and that there are no other signs like licking/scratching/lesions. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Daisy. She appears to have normal pigment variations on her abdomen for her breed. If one isolated area becomes very dark or she develops a raised mass, she will need to see her veterinarian. Otherwise, I cannot make out anything abnormal from your pictures. I hope this information helps!

The color of hair can change for a number of reasons including trauma to the area resulting in scarring, excessive licking as you have noticed in other areas, hormonal changes or cyst formation. If Daisy is not bothered by the spot and it does not seem to be getting worse, you can continue to monitor it. If you notice the swelling in this area or if she's licking at it, she should be seen by a veterinarian.

Those spots could be normal skin changes for your dog, areas of chronic irritation such as from grass or laying on a rough surface, or rarely an auto immune disease. If they start increase in size, number, have any sort of redness or appear raw/ulcerated she get checked out by a veterinarian. For now I would recommend monitoring them and no special shampoo should be needed.

I’m not sure if the lighting makes the skin look normal in your picture, or if the rash you are describing is faint enough to not show up on the picture, but her skin appears fairly normal to me. The brown spots I see are normal pigmentation variants. Often times mild skin problems in young dogs are bacterial and bathing in a shampoo that has chlorhexidine or salicylic acid can be helpful. These can be found in the human shampoo aisle in the dandruff area. If it does not seem to help then I would encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian soon. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Daisee. Oh yes, those are concerning! I'm not sure what they are, it could be ringworm, but it definitely needs to be checked out by a vet. I would call her vet in the morning. I hope this helps!

It is very difficult to tell from a photo exactly what is going on here. I am concerned if these areas could be bleeding under the skin. From the photos the areas don't appear raised which is why I am concerned they could be this type of bruisng, also called ecchymosis. If you press your finger onto the area and remove it, and there is not a white spot, then this is a sign this is ecchymosis and your dog should be seen right away because it could have a bleeding disorder. If you press against the red area and when you remove your finger it blanches (turns white) and then turns red again, then it is less concerning in terms of the urgency of being seen and is more likely an actual skin issue. If the area is raised or crusted then this could be inflammation due to infection with bacteria or yeast. We can have immune system over-reactions that can result in red inflammed areas of skin. We can also in more rare cases see cancers that can affect the skin. A vet can examine the skin and determine what testing may be indicated- this could include cytology of the skin, culture of the skin, biopsy, or bloodwork depending on their exam findings. Best of luck to you.