Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

Puppy has red ring on stomach. Is it ringworm, Lyme, or a bug bite?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | American Bulldog | Male | neutered | 9 months old | 48 lbs

My puppy has this red ring on his stomach. It was bright red yesterday but has lightened and become a more defined ring today. He has no other symptoms. My dad scared me with saying it’s Lyme disease or ringworm while I found it could just be a fly bite. A vet student told me it’s a staff wheel skin infection and to treat it with hydrogen peroxide. Is this correct?

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 10th, 2020

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Duke. This could be ringworm or a sign of lyme disease, but yes it could also be a black fly bite. Black fly bites do not need any treatment. I honestly cannot make a diagnosis from a picture (and neither can a vet student), so I would have him seen by a vet. The vet can diagnose what is causing it and what treatment, if any, is needed. I hope this helps!

Vote icon

6Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Does this look like a typical bug bite? (She is up to date on her flea/tick and heartworm etc meds)
It is possible this is an insect bite. Fly bites in particular can look like a red ring with a central pallor (pale area in the middle). It is tough to tell from the photo what the central area looks like. If it is raised and looks like it is filled with yellow/pus, then this could be a pustule which is a sign of skin infection. If the center is flat with the skin and just pale in color, then a bug bite is more likely.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My male dog has a red ring around one of his nipples. I’m not sure if this is run worm or maybe just an insect bite.
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is unlikely to be ringworm at least based on how it looks right now. This is possibly due to local inflammation. I recommend that you continue to monitor Milo for now. If this lesion fails to improve on its own or it worsens have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi I just noticed my dog has a red circular rash on his belly by his privates. I can’t figure out if it’s a Tick bite, fly bite or ringworm
The most common reason that we see red circular rashes in dogs are actually bacterial skin infection. Tick bites rarely cause red circular rashes in dogs (it's more common in people). Ringworm certainly can cause a circular rash, but they often aren't red in dogs. I would recommend having your vet examine Chance and determine what they think is going on. They may be able to tell by looking at it, or they may need to do some special skin tests like skin scrapings or skin cytology in order to determine the best treatment for Chance. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi! I found these on my puppy's belly, it doesn't seem to bother him, it's neither itch nor painful, we are traveling in national parks, is this some kind of insect bites? Do I have to do anything about it?
From the appearance in those photos, I suspect those are black fly bites. They can cause pretty dramatic round red lesions that are flat (not raised). While they look impressive, Gnocchi shouldn't be bothered by them. They will gradually go away (it can take a week or two) and are not dangerous. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
This spot is on my dogs belly, she lays outside a lot, I've noticed a lot of flies lately but I'm wondering if it's just a big bite or possible tick bite? It doesn't seem to bother her.
It could be an insect or tick bite, it could also be ringworm, if this does not get any better within a week you will need to take her to your vet in order to get it checked and treated. try to avoid contact as ringworm is contagious to humans as well.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 1 year old bichon/toy poodle mix. I just found this red spot on her belly. We live in southern NJ. Is this a tick bite? Should I be worried about Lyme’s?
Skin lesions like Coco has can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection, dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, an insect bite like you mentioned, or a combination of the above. I recommend making an appointment to have Coco seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the lesion you’ve noticed and to make sure it is treated appropriately. The vet will likely want to look at a sample from the area under the microscope to determine if there is an infection and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment. In the meantime, you can bathe Coco in hypoallergenic shampoo for dogs to clean the area, but this will likely not resolve the lesion.I recommend getting Coco on parasite prevention year round. Please see the link below for more information about ticks: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4952474
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I’m seeing the vet tomorrow afternoon but wondering what we are dealing with here. Is it ringworm? My dog has developed a round rash on his belly that at first we thought was a horsefly bite with several mosquito bites as well. Now it’s bigger and hi
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! 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.  There are medications such as Apoquel or prednisone which may help with the itch. 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). I
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I found this spot on Winston tonight. Curious if it's a tick or ringworm or black fly bites? And what should I do?
It’s hard to say from the photo. That could be an area where a tick bit Winston. It could also be some sort of puncture wound, spider bite or potentially a ringworm lesion. From the photo, the area looks swollen. Because of this I recommend to have him examined by the veterinarian with in the next 24 hours. A swollen tick bite or puncture wound could indicate the onset of an infection. There could also be a tick head or foreign object trapped in the skin. Ringworm generally does not swell but a deeper infection could. Make sure Winston does not lick the area and have him wear an Elizabethan collar. I hope this helps and best of luck. Please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I think my dog may have ringworm, it just came up today. I was wondering if I needed to go see a vet for it or if there was something I could do at home to treat it? It is no bigger than the size of a dime.
If there is no hair loss or crusting/flaking of the area it is possible this is a fly bite. With fly bites we often see this type of red/purple bulls eye appearance and it will usually go away in a few days. If there is hair loss, or scabby/flaky skin in the area then a visit to the vet would be recommended.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Bad tick bite!!! Discovered a tick between my jack russel's shoulder blades. The surrounding area around the bite is red and puffy. Inside the red and puffy area is a yellow-green area that is festering and looks infected. I Googled several pictures
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! I see a lot of tick bites that are raised with a yellowish center. The bump is from a local inflammatory reaction due to the attached tick. It rarely indicates Lyme disease. Lyme disease is only carried by the deer tick. So we would have to ID the tick you pulled off. Unfortunately it takes 2-3 months for a test to show positive if Marley was infected with Lyme disease. It also takes 24 hours for the tick to transmit Lyme. So if you promptly removed the tick and it wasn't engorged it is likely that it didn't transmit Lyme. The bump could be infected. Without seeing a picture I can only speculate. You can clean the bump with hydrogen peroxide daily and apply a triple antibiotic cream. I have seen it take 2-6 weeks for these bumps to go away. It is never wrong to have the bump looked at by your Vet if you are still worried. I wish you the best!
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Supplies Dog Health & Wellness Prescription Dewormer for Dogs Prescription Flea & Tick Medicine for Dogs Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs Heartworm Medicine for Dogs Dog Dewormers & Worm Medicine Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Antifungal Medication for Dogs Prescription Dog Digestive Medications Zymox Dog Allergy Medicine & Itch Relief Elanco Dog Dewormers & Worm Medicine Dermalone Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Burt's Bees Dog Allergy Medicine & Itch Relief HomeoPet Dog Dewormers & Worm Medicine Vet's Best Topical Flea & Tick Treatment for Dogs Flys-Off Flea & Tick Solutions for Dogs PetArmor Dog Dewormers & Worm Medicine Dermalone Antifungal Medication for Dogs Natural Dog Company Dog Allergy Medicine & Itch Relief
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored