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What's causing my dog's rash above his penis and how to treat it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | unneutered | 8 months and 24 days old | 50 lbs

My dog has a weird rash above his penis its been there for about 1 week but seems to be getting worse

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ann Dion, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 13th, 2018

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Rashes around a penis are typically either caused by allergies to something he is lying on (grass, bedding, etc.), bug bites on the abdomen (ants in the grass), or from a urinary issue where he would be dribbling urine, or licking at his penis making the skin around it wet, and therefore getting a secondary skin infection. I recommend having it seen by a vet if it is irritating Dice or looks infected (any yellow/green discharge, any open wounds, etc). If it is just a little bit red, then I would recommend an E-collar to prevent self-trauma and licking which is likely making it worse, and just washing the area with water and drying it very well. Getting a urine sample checked by your vet is a good idea, especially if Dice is peeing more than usually, or straining to pee, or if there is any red discolouration of the pee. Best of luck with Dice.

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2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 15th, 2019

    Leo could have this rash for many reasons. It can be related to allergies of any kind, flea bites or a primary bacterial infection. You need to prevent him from licking the lesions with an Elizabethan collar. You can start him on an omega-3 fatty acid supplement for pets and you can wash the lesions once a day. If they do not start improving within one week or if they get worse at any point, have him examined by the veterinarian.

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    32Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on April 1st, 2019

    It looks like something may have scraped this area - I’m wondering if there’s anything outside he could have rubbed against. Bruising can sometimes look this way as well so if you see anything like this anywhere else on his body like his belly, inner ears or gums you should see a vet right away. Otherwise I’d prevent licking (use an e-collar if necessary) and monitor for a day or two. If it doesn’t get better check in with your vet.

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    18Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on January 25th, 2017

    He could have a bacterial skin infection. You could bathe him with a medicated dog shampoo and see if that helps. If not, he needs to be examined by your vet for treatment. He may need an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory to treat the problem.

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My dog has this bright red rash in his penile area. He keeps itching at it. Im taking him in to pet co tomorrow for a bath so hopefully that will soothe it. Any ideas what it is?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for envir
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Hi My name is Penny and my dogs name is prince today I found a rash near his penis and I don’t know if it’s flea bites or rash can u please help me out
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This looks like a localised spot of skin infection which can be easily treated its antibiotic and antiinflammatory ointment on prescription from your veterinarian. The fact that he is licking his paw as well can be due to an allergy, which possibly can be considered in case infection is not resolved with treatment trial. I would recommend a check up at your local vet to confirm this clinical suspicion and treat appropriately. Hope this answer was helpful but please do not hesitate to contact us again in case you want to discuss this problem any further.
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