My dog's private area is irritated from licking. Is it serious?

Question

I recently noticed Duke is having irritation near his private part... he’s been liking it a lot and now it looks like this. Is it something I should be worried about? Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 6 months and 20 days old | 40 lbs

Karly Macon, DVM, MS, CVA Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist · Accepted Answer

Poor Duke! It does almost look like Duke has a couple areas of ulceration/irritation right at his sheath. This could be an infection, or he could have created this ulceration just from being itchy and licking too much in this area. If the licking continues, or if the raw areas spread or look worse, he needs to see the vet. Some licking in young male dogs is normal but not to the point where the prepucial skin looks abraded, like it does here. He may need a urine test to rule out a urinary tract infection, or to try an allergy trial on a drug like Apoquel to stop the itching. I have not seen this before, but it is possible that he could have a small viral or bacterial infection going on in the prepuce skin requiring a culture to isolate. Your vet can help you with this. Hope that helps!

My dog's private area is irritated from licking. Is it serious?

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