• My dog has a black spot on the hairless part of her belly. It looks like a clogged pore, almost like a blackhead. I noticed it a couple of weeks ago, and last night I noticed that the black part was protruding more. I squeezed it gently and a small amount of a black, paste-like substance came out. I didn't get all of it out, and there is still a black mark. It doesn't appear to be irritated and she leaves it alone. I am not sure if this is normal or if I should bring her in for an appointment. Let me know what you think.

    There are a number of different things that this could be, but the two most likely things are either a sebaceous cyst – which is a blocked oil duct on this skin, and the other is something called a comedone – which is the fancy doctor word for a blackhead.

    There are 2 things that I would watch out for though. One is that either one of these things can come back and especially in a young dog can be an earlier indicator of something more serious (especially the comedones). The other thing I would be at least a little worried about are some of the other things that this could be if it isn’t a cyst or a comedone. The bottom line is that giving your veterinarian a chance to look at it, and anything else going on with your pet, is the safest and best way to move forward.

Need more information or advice?

Contact your nearest Banfield Pet Hospital to schedule an appointment today.

Tags

Other Concerns

Back to Question List

Ask a Vet Archive

When it comes to your pet's health, there's no such thing as a dumb question. Search questions real clients have submitted to our popular Ask a Vet Q&A series, and then submit a question of your own.