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My dog's groin skin is inflamed and blistered. Is it allergies?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 11 years and 9 months old | 110 lbs

What could be wrong with my dog's skin in his groin area & can it be treated at home? He's been licking it a lot lately. It looks inflamed & seems to have some blistering including 1 large what looks like a blood-filled type blister. I rubbed some coconut oil on it hoping to soothe it, but he's still licking. I will put his cone on over night, but any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have attached photos. Please let me know what else you need. Thank you!

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on October 26th, 2018

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 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 usually with antibiotics. 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 environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

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