Why is my dog's groin black, smelly, and he keeps licking it?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | unneutered | 7 years and 10 months old
My dog's groin area has recently started to turn black and it also leaves a bad odour, even though I game him a bath recently; he also has somewhat of a pimple looking object over his groin. He also licks that area very often; should I just bathe him again or is it a serious condition ? The photographs might look weird but I had to put them.
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on July 24th, 2017
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!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on March 25th, 2018
This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Buster collar as well may help to avoid excessive licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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