My dog has black skin spots and licks paws. What's wrong?

Question

I've noticed little black kind of oily spots on my malteses lower abdomen between the legs and at bottom part of nipples that attaches to skin.She also has been obsessively licking her paws.She does not have fleas.what could this be? Pet's info: Dog | Maltese | Female | unspayed | 6 years and 9 months old | 5 lbs

Linda G, MS, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello. Obsessively licking of the paws is the hallmark of an allergic response to something in Sophie's environment. It could be something she in in contact with or something she is breathing in, a condition called atopy. Food allergies are an unlikely cause. The black spots are also a result of her allergies. The more she licks her skin, the darker it can become as melanin cells are deposited. You may be seeing something similar to blackheads, too. We have many ways of dealing with allergies, from diet changes ( least likely to work ), to allergy desensitization ( takes time to work ), to targeted immunotherapy products like Apoquel & Cytopoint. Talk with your vet as to what might work best for Sophie. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

My dog has black skin spots and licks paws. What's wrong?

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