i noticed the other day that my wifes sandy coloured schitzu cross dog is turning black on her underbelly..

[stokemaveric]

she seems happy enough and is always wagging her tail and is in no pain..does anyone know what this could be?? thanx in advance...

[Ratty2E]

Presuming you mean the skin. It might sound daft but have you tried rubbing it gently with a warm soapy flannel? Some bitches can get a build up of the oils in the skin of their mammary glands especially around the nipples. It's sort of like blackheads but it can build up quite a bit and look quite nasty. Sorry if I'm barking up the wrong tree so to speak.

[stokemaveric]

thanks rattratgirl ill tell mrsmav...as ive said the dog id happy in herself..thanks for taking the time to reply...

[lisajade8]

what colour were her parent s was there black in them maybe or as a previous answerer said rub her with a flannel

[Clanad]

If you mean the skin is actually turning black and it progresses then I'd hvae concerns about the dog's thyroid. If this is the case, the dog's gums would also be blackening. Our Vet also says that if it's a thyroid problem, yeast infection usually follows and ther'll be a musty smell from the area. The dog would begin to scratch at it and lose hair.
If you mean a few black spots are showing up on a pink belly then there's probably no concern.
Google alopecia and Blackening Skin Disorder. The latter usually occurs only in certain breeds... notably Pomeranians, but other breeds can develop alopecia...

[stokemaveric]

thanks very much...

[crisgal]

hi, our bichon's under belly started to go black a few years ago. I thought he was sctatching more too.
Anyway, long story short: We changed his food. Turns out he has a mild allergy to wheat and poultry.
He was put on james Well-beloved dry food,It has no gluten, wheat ,poultry, dairy and they do it with fish, rice, lamb etc and his skin turned baby pink within a fortnight.
If he manages to pinch a bit of chicken or turkey from somewhere, we know because he starts itching again.