Hi all,
we recently re-homed a staffy cross from a dog and cat shelter, and have had her home for the past 8 weeks and she has settled in very fast and we all love her to bits, but we have noticed the her skin colour changing on her belly and legs from what looked a healthy pink to pink with large black patches,

what are we doing wrong ????

It doesn't sound like anything to worry about,my dog has developed more black patches on his skin,it's just the pigmentation coming out as he's getting older,which sounds very similar to what you have described.

My JRT did just the same as she was maturing - she was white in colour and as she aged she developed more black pigment to her skin. I personally wouldnt worry about it but if you are overly concerned about her then let the vet have a look.

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Jo, Nelly, Bhu and Molly
Some people talk alot.................and say nowt

Dapper-Dan, is it possible that she may have a skin allergy or infection? I ask this as our old girl has allergies and her skin goes black during a flare up. Our vet said it was called 'elephant skin' and was likely to stay like that for the rest of her life but I have noticed that it has improved after using Aloe Vera Gel (from Holland and Barrett) and E45 cream (not the itch relief version) on the flaky weepy areas. I would let the vet check her and see if it would be ok to give the aloe vera a go.

pigmentation can change with age our girls both started out with pink skin and at about 6 months started to devellop daker skin colour we asked the vet and she said nothing to worry about it was normal . At just over 12 months now both dogs pigmentation is returning back to a more pink tone , unless there are any obviouse signs of inflamation or irritation i would not worry .

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My staffy gets big spots like a dalmation on her belly bigtime, mainly going towards the summer tho winter time her belly is pink as a babys arce.

Hi there and yes in my bitches the skin pigmentation changed as they got older. Just keep your eye on her and look out for any other changes. Good luck

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As people have mentioned, darker skin can just be pigment, but it is very likely to be irritated skin.

Many dogs suffering from skin-sensitive allergies can develop darker skin with no other signs, sometimes it's just darker of with a bit of flaking. The most common cause is irritation caused by a sinlge flea or chemicals you use on your carpet or flooring, or just scratchy grass or mud on walks.

Staffs tend to lay down flat on their bellies with their back legs splayed like frogs and sometimes drag themselves along like this, so their skin comes into direct contact with the ground and can easily be irritated - that's why aloe vera and other creams can reduce the amount of pigment showing.

Cat

Hi all and thanks for all the advice, we had her at the vets today for her injections,whilst she was there the vet checked her over and all is fine. now just some social and Obedience training.


once again thanks

here's my dog's belly she gets brown spots on her in the warmer months but they have started to stay on her now its just a normal colouring can happen for any dog