Why is my dog's leg skin discolored and lighter after an old scrape?

Question

We have a 65lb dog for house pet. She has a discolored area on her right rear leg the size of a Coke can bottom. Our local vet doesn't know what it is. It has the hair still on it and it don't bleed or seem to hurt her. She did scrape her leg there several months ago. The area is very visible as the skin is lighter in the area. Do I need to be concerned. She is just over 2 yes old. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Female | 2 years and 3 months old | 65 lbs

Makenzie Kurth, DVM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It's hard to say without a picture, but if she has a history of trauma in that area, it could be a thin layer of scar tissue. Or Sometimes loss of hair or a deep scrape seems to change the quality or pigment of the skin or hair (I don't know if there is a good medical explanation for that). Of course, there are also infections, auto-immune diseases, and other reasons skin color can change. If the skin is completely normal other than being a lighter shade, it's been going on for longer than a month without change, and Sissy doesn't seem bothered by it, its PROBABLY nothing to worry about. If it has come up suddenly or spread quickly, changed alot in any other way, there are other spots where it starts to happen, or Sissy seems at all bothered by it, it's time to seek a second opinion or pursue testing (skin scrape/impression or skin biopsy are reasonable next steps). Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Sissy!

Why is my dog's leg skin discolored and lighter after an old scrape?

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