[Char Tucker]

My Buddy is six years old and has always been very healthy. I have noticed for the past few days his underbelly, lower tummy and thighs, have dark places on them. He seems to feel alright and is eating like normal but he has always had a cute little pink tummy and thighs and now they have dark places. Anyone else have this before?
We have not changed his food or surroundings. Everything is the same as always.
Kind of worried.

 

[justine]

Hmm that is kind of odd! I wonder if it could be some sort of allergy or something like that, since it is spring after all..? If he seems okay, I would just maybe watch it and document it and mention it at the next vet visit.

 

[Baloo317]

Peanut's (my min pin) belly has darkened with age, Baloo's is still same as ever. Maybe mention it if you're going in for an annual soon..?

 

[Char Tucker]

He has been scratching a lot here lately. He has his monthly flee treatment so I'm sure he doesn't have fleas. Maybe it is an allergy. Wish he could talk to me.

 

[rayluckgoo]

I've seen some dogs actually tan there and get darker seasonally. It's also a place where hypothyroidism shows early but that skin is usually rougher as well. It might be worth mentionning to your vet next time he goes.

 

[Bob Pr.]

I suspect it's a staph infection. Your vet can take a scraping of this and test for it.

Puff normally has a pink belly but gets dark splotches on it -- they look a bit as if they could be dirt or changes in the skin's pigment -- they've certainly never looked like scabs to me.

Years ago, I took her to our (otherwise most excellent) vet at KSU's CollVetMed Tchng Hospl and that was what was diagnosed and a 2 week course of Cephalexin prescribed. That cleared it up but it returned in a few weeks so we returned to our vet.

Went through that 3X total until I insisted Puff be seen by their dermatologist.

She did a careful interview of Puff's activities and decided the staph infections were probably being caused by our every morning early walks in the nature preserve where dew wetted Puff's belly and pollen & other irritants got stuck to it and attacked the skin.

We went through a 4th round of anti-biotics and then used, whenever needed at the first sign of a return of symptoms, 3X/wk, a medicated Rx shampoo (Benzoyl peroxide) which gets lathered on her belly, stays 15 minutes, and then completely flushed off.

Either flushing off Puff's tummy in the shower and then throughly drying her OR taking her swimming in the lake (with thorough drying) after our walk accomplished very much the same thing.

Don't know if this is what's bothering your Buddy but it sounds very much like it could be.

 

[BucksMom]

My boys underbelly and thighs change from pink in winter to very dark in summer. I attribute it to laying in the sun in the warm weather, like a tan. He's a yellow and almost 8 years old, has happened every year.