• 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.

Answered by:

John Smith, DVM
Veterinarian

Dr. John Smith is a graduate of LSU, Class of 1998. He has over 10 years of experience...

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