Sometimes nothing can be more frightening than finding a new lump, bump, or spot on your dog’s skin. Changes in your dog’s skin can mean a number of things, from nothing to cancer, so it’s always important to have any new changes checked out by a veterinarian.
One of those possibly alarming new changes can be finding black spots near your dog’s privates, belly, or groin area. We’ll help you decide when these spots can be a problem and when you shouldn’t worry about them.
Dr. Chyrle Bonk, who is a dog veterinarian, has written this article to give you some of the potential outcomes of why you’re seeing black spots on your dog.
Changes in your dog’s skin color can come with age, sun exposure, and many other causes. Each will have a slightly different presentation and may or may not have any other accompanying symptoms. Following are four common reasons why you might see black spots on your dog’s belly, groan, or near their privates.
It’s perfectly normal for dogs to have some amount of yeast on their skin. The numbers are kept in check by a dog’s immune system. If something goes haywire and the yeast is allowed to multiple unchecked, your puppy could show up with a yeast infection.
Occasionally, the dark spots that you see near your dog’s privates can be flea dirt. Flea dirt is the dried blood droppings that are left behind by fleas. Flea dirt will look like black pepper flakes on your dog’s skin.
Hyperpigmentation, also known as Acanthosis Nigricans, is a darkening of a dog’s skin. It most commonly occurs in the lightly-haired parts of the body, such as the belly and groin.
Even with a thick hair coat, dogs are not immune to skin cancers such as melanoma. These typically occur where the hair is the thinnest, namely around the genitals, belly, face, and ears due to increased sun exposure. Melanomas will often be raised and irregularly shaped.