His sanitary area should be kept rather clean to avoid infections or discomfort when going potty. Whether you're waiting for bathtime or cleaning outside of bathtime, your dog's private areas will need to be cleaned on a regular basis or when they are especially dirty.
Is This Color Normal? The outer surfaces of a dog's labia are covered with skin and a small amount of hair, which should appear similar to the surrounding skin and hair. Some dark staining may be present due to the presence of fluids, like saliva, that turn reddish-brown when exposed to air.
Hyperpigmentation is a darkening and thickening of the skin seen in dogs. It is not a specific disease but a reaction of a dog's body to certain conditions. Hyperpigmentation appears as light-brown-to-black, velvety, rough areas of thickened, often hairless skin. The usual sites are in the legs and groin area.
Ketoconazole Wipes can be used for the antiseptic cleansing of face folds, finger folds, as well as underarm and groin areas. Directions for Use: Thoroughly wipe affected area with a pad 1 to 3 times per day, or as directed by your veterinarian.
Bacterial or yeast infections of the skin can be very itchy and result in constant licking of the affected area. The presence of pustules or red bumps usually indicates a bacterial infection and warrants antibiotic therapy.
It's normal for an unspayed dog's vulva to swell during certain points in her estrus cycle, or heat. The canine estrus cycle has four stages: proestrus, estrus, diestrus, and anestrus. The vulva will begin to swell during proestrus and remain enlarged to varying degrees throughout estrus and diestrus.
In the early stages of a yeast infection, the skin begins to turn pink or red. When dealing with chronic yeast infections, the skin may become leathery, thick, and gray or black. Greasy skin. The skin can become greasy or excessively oily.
Discharge that is brown or white and chunky may describe a sebaceous cyst. Sebaceous cysts often look and feel like pimples and can be very tempting to squeeze. Sebaceous cysts form when follicles in the skin that hold sebum become infected or impacted.
Your dog may have puppy pyoderma if you see red bumps in the armpits, groin and/or on the abdomen. These red bumps can scab over and scale. Puppy pyoderma can make your dog slightly itchy, but pups with puppy pyoderma are usually otherwise in good health.
Although we associate fastidious grooming with cats, dogs lick themselves to stay clean too. They will lick their paws, legs, and body, so why not their crotch? They need to keep their genitals clean from dirt and discharge, and they don't use toilet paper for their anal region, so their tongue is the way to do it.
If your puppy is female, you will see a raised, fleshy area just under the anus. This is the vulva. The vulva of a female puppy is small and leaf-shaped. It has a vertical slit.
Potential medical causes for licking include allergies that cause the skin or paws to itch. Allergies can be airborne, such as pollen or molds in the air. Food allergies can also be an underlying cause for itchy skin which can lead to licking. Dogs can even develop an allergy to fleas or even cats in the house!
No, it is not recommended that you use baby wipes on dogs, or any other pets. That's because the pH level on human skin is different to dogs so baby wipes are unsafe because they may cause irritation or itching.
Conclusion. So the bottom line is this, dogs don't need to wipe themselves because they have a different anatomy than ours. At times, you may have to help your dog wipe his bottom but this is not an everyday occurence and should only be done as needed. A dog can live a perfectly healthy life and never have to wipe.
You should wash or wipe his bum on a daily basis to keep it clean or at the least once a week. Special canine wipes can be used, or you can use a simple damp washcloth to do the trick. Reward him with treats throughout any wiping to get him adjusted to it.
Flea dirt resembles little black pepper-like specks that are typically roundish in shape. You can spot flea dirt within the fur or on the skin of your dog or cat. Run a flea comb, or your fingers, against the direction your pet's hair grows to part the hair and better reveal flea dirt—or the actual fleas themselves.
For a healthy dog with no underlying condition, a black scab signifies that the scab is old and almost ready to fall off. When the skin is damaged, blood rushes to the area, and the blood platelets clot, turning dark from oxidation. They form a dry crust to protect the wound from dirt and pathogens.
I would advise a good grooming/clipping, and cleaning the affected areas with one part hydrogen peroxide in two parts water. Dry him well, then apply apple cider vinegar, rub it well into his fur, then wipe him semi-dry after 10 to 15 minutes.
An antifungal rinse solution of 1 gallon water, 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup lemon juice and 20 drops peppermint oil may also be effective, used regularly, 1 week after antifungal shampoos to prevent yeast overgrowth. Antifungal rinses should not be put on your dog's head or near their eyes.
When some dogs eat ingredients such as chicken, wheat, corn or other individual items, ingestion will trigger an allergic reaction that can alter the natural flora and allow an unnatural growth of yeast.
Is your dog feeling itchy, or does his skin appear flaky, moist or crusty? He may have a bacterial or fungal infection. You may also notice, odor, inflammation or redness. Yeast dermatitis or staph infection can bring these symptoms, along with recurring health issues.
Sudocrem. This can be used in dogs and cats in small amounts. Sudocrem contains zinc-oxide which is highly toxic to birds. Zinc-oxide is also toxic to dogs and cats if ingested in large quantities, but applying a thin layer of sudocrem to sore or irritated skin is generally safe and can be beneficial.
A veterinarian's treatment is the only recourse when a female dog smells fishy from vaginitis or pyometra. Antibiotics and surgery will be necessary to resolve these issues. You can express anal glands at home or have a dog care specialist handle it, but that may not be enough to ward off anal sac disease.