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My dog has black, flaky, itchy bumps. Are they ant bites or worse?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 12 lbs

My dog has started developed little blackish colored bumps the past week; they seem like the color is from dried blood, as it's flakey. The newest one is on his tail. We let him out on our screened in patio and Im wondering if these are just ant bites since Ive seen ant hills out there and they seem to itch him, or if I should be more worried. Also, how can I help him? He's about 10yrs old and has had a few fatty non-cancerous bumps for about 3yrs now, if that matters.

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3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on February 26th, 2019

Those blackish areas are likely related to irritation and a secondary infection. This irritation could be any bites but fleas or environmental allergy are more common. If you are noticing multiple areas affected or if Kasper is getting worse, a trip to the veterinarian is indicated for medications. Small areas or areas that are very minor may respond to feeding a high quality food aimed at skin health such as Royal Canin or Nutro. Omega 3 fatty acids for dogs can also help improve skin health. You can wash the areas with a medicated dog shampoo and treat for fleas. I recommend Simparica or Nexgard for flea treatment. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 20th, 2019

    Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). The following products can be found online and can be tried as a first line approach: Douxo PS Calm shampoo, Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent, Krillex Krill oil chews. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 30th, 2020

    Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). The following products can be found online and can be tried as a first line approach: Douxo PS Calm shampoo, Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent, Krillex Krill oil chews. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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