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My dog has new black spots on his belly. Are they normal or flea dirt?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Male | neutered | 4 lbs

My dog has some black spots noted on his belly. I’m not sure if I just did not notice them before, but they seem recent. They also don’t seem to bother him at all, he’s not itching or scratching, I’m just nervous they might me flea dirt or ticks

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

Veterinarian

Published on May 17th, 2020

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These dots are not flea dirt or ticks and most likely they are not related to any diseases. Many dogs develop black dots like these on the abdomen and in axial and inguinal areas. As long as there are not many of them and they do not bother Kobe, there is nothing to worry about. However, if larger part of his skin becomes black, dry or thickened you should take him to your local vets to test his thyroid gland.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

    Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

    Published on August 2nd, 2018

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is most likely allergies with a secondary infection which may be bacterial, yeast or most likely a combination. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. The hydrocortisone is not likely to help much in this case as the inciting factor would not be dealt with that way. 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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