Help!! please :(

Hi guys... I'm having a huge panic

My dog has always been kinda itchy... not massively, and it's well controlled with food and keeping his hair shortish and lots of fish oil in his diet.. always thought it was just his breed.

The skin on his groin (no where else) is very dark.. i can't remember how long its been like this.. a while.. but has happeneded gradually and my mum came round today who doesnt see Bentley loads and was shocked at how dark it has become.

His groin is his most itchy bit so I normally just wash with hibiscrub and put e45 on it.

Now im extremely worried about it, i hadnt really realised how dark his skin had got.. he licks and chews at it (occasionally) but doesnt try to scratch it at all.

I've looked online and scared myself silly... cushings disease, hypothrodism and testicular cancer all mention dark pigment on the groin area

I am scared stiff.. i will get him a vets appotment first thing tomorrow but can please somebody put my mind at rest for tonight.. does anyone know what this may be?? please!!

He is a 8 year old westie.. not neutered.. good weight, otherwise seems healthy.

now i've looked properly and taken pics i know it looks terrible, please dont judge me... i hadnt realised how bad it was.

best pic i can get.. almost looks worse in a pic...

There really is no point speculating about what it is because none of us are vets and even if we were diagnosis over the ether is pretty much a lottery.

Thre are all sorts of conditions your dog may have from the benign to the more serious.


Irritated skin does go dark.
I am sure your vet will give you all the iformation you need, and let us know how you get on.

thanks.. i know it's just i was wondering if anyone else had experienced anything similar with their dog. I know of course no one can tell me excatly what it is just maybe some one elses dog had similar and reconised it.

I am going to ring the vet in the morning, they can always see you same day.

what kind of serious things do you mean??

I have an 8 year old Westie too. Your little boy is gorgeous!

Don't worry too much, easier said that done, I know.

Westies are well known for their skin conditions and there are several different kinds, so I would take him to the vet and get them to have a look and find ways of managing his irritation once you find out what's causing it.

He doesn't seem to have pink paws due to licking or anywhere else so that's good.

Perhaps he just got carried away licking his balls, which no doubt he does.

Anyway, don't worry until you've seen your vet and go from there.

Good luck at the vet tomorrow, my fingers are crossed for you and I hope that it is something that can be simply and quickly resolved.

Malassezia dermatitis, maybe?

http://www.westiemed.org/health/malassezia/

Hi WestieN.. thankyou for your reply.

Yes he doesn't really itch anywhere else, doesnt chew paws etc, he fine in that respect.

Lol yeah he does give his bits a daily polish as we say

I really hope its just a skin prob... have scared myself silly looking at things online and what dark pigmentation could be.. all kinds of really serious things

Thank you bitkin

Thank you for that, i Will print it off and show it to my vet when I take Bentley. I'll never remember or be able to pronounce that name lol!!

Don't panic!

Long term skin irritation can turn pink skin black (hyperpigmentation) and can cause it to thicken (hyperkeritinisation or "elephant skin").

They are both a type of protection as thicker, more highly pigmented skin potentially has greater resistance to outside attack from UV, skin contact allergies etc. Unfortunately that is often theory only as many allergens are absorbed through the skin, injected ( insects bites), inhaled or ingested

These two changes are not uncommonly seen in dogs with chronic skin allergies.

Obviously get your dog to the vet to be sure, and just in case it is anything else but this colour change is not unusual in the circumstances that you describe.

oh thank you thats reassuring. I will be on the phone first thing to get him an appointment... and will let you all know what is said.

Bentley is now fed up of me and has gone sulking in the kitchen... i keep rolling him over, having a poke and a prod, seeing if he matches the lastest illness I've found on the internet.... I've driven him mad!! Will leave the poor boy alone now and wait for the vet!!

Thank you all.

Don't panic Emma, and good luck at the vets tomorrow with Bentley. Let us all know how you get on.