My dog has itchy bumps on his chin and muzzle. Could it be dog acne?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | English Mastiff | Male | 170 lbs
my english mastiff who will be 2 in April seems to have these pimple like things on the bottom of his muzzle and underside of the outside of his mouth.. He itches his face along with his ears . He has not lost any hair due to the itching. But his ears become swollen at times because of the scratching. I've tried benedryl, a hydrocortisone cream etc. but nothing seems to keep these pimple like things away. what could it be?
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on December 18th, 2018
Poor Titan! He is so cute! This sounds like chin acne. Sometimes they need oral antibiotics to go away but unfortunately, the dogs that are prone to them will have problems with them returning. I would make sure his food and water bowls are made out of stainless steel and washed regularly. If not, this could increase his risk to developing these bumps. You can also try stridex pads which you can find in the human facial products of most stores. I would do them once to twice a day while he has the bumps and then at least once a day as a maintenance treatment to help prevent a reoccurrence. If he has never had antibiotics for them or if there are several bumps that have pus coming out of them, I would strongly recommend to have your vet take a look at them to help get rid of the infection. I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on May 3rd, 2017
Poor pup. It sounds like he may have classic chin acne going on here. This can lead to pustules and papules that consistently appear on the chin as the follicles get plugged with overactive glands, leading to inflammation and sometimes pus. The best way to treat this is to use either Stridex pads or pet formulated benzoyl peroxide pads from your local vet to consistently use on Pacino's chin. This will help to dry out the bumps and keep he inflammation down. Then treat periodically with oral antibiotics for any infections that may arise. I would even suggest using only metal food and water bowls and rule out a food allergy by placing Pacino on a vet recommended hypoallergenic food (i.e. Royal Canin hypoallergenic HP, Hills Z/D, etc). I hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on August 16th, 2019
From the photo, that looks more like a bump or acne than a cut. Many dogs with heavy jowls like Jeter have acne and other lesions on the chin. Washing toys and bowls on a weekly basis, using medicated wipes for dogs on the chin daily and keeping the chin dry can all help. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for dogs, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing his diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesions with soap once a day and rinse well (don't wash his whole body, just those spots). Protect the areas from scratching. If it doesn't start looking better within about a week or if it gets worse, have him examined by his veterinarian who may prescribe medications. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on May 30th, 2018
I am sorry to hear about Oliver. It looks like he could have chin acne or folliculitis. I would recommend bringing him to the vet for an exam as often this condition does require a course of oral antibiotics. In the meantime, if you use plastic bowls for food and water I recommend switching to stainless steel or ceramic bowls and also be sure to clean the bowls daily. In rare cases we can see this as a sensitivity to plastics.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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