Black Belly on Dogs

Question
Hi Patti this is really not a question, more like adding some advice on this subject.  Being I also have been a dog owner for 40 years I have had my situations with dogs, My recent 1 is I have a Golden Retriever that has had issues since I rescued her at 1 1/2 year old, she is now 12, her biggest issue is allergies especially to grass and being we go back and forth to Fl an WV she really doesn't get to get any relief from it. But last winter I noticed her tummy becoming black and stinky an I started using a prescription antibiotic ointment with some relief, short term so basically it was diet change and baths with peroxide and vinegar rinses that helped, but this biggest help was cornstarch I started applying it about a month ago and it has realy helped with drying up the skin and also as a abrasive to remove the black scales and she has not licked or cheed at her belly since an her odor has disappeared. I know the vinegar and peroxide helps with removing the odor but since I starte the cornstarch every day . she is pretty much black belly free.  I hope this helps others as well as it has helped her...

Answer
Hi Tracey,

Thanks for your info. Hopefully others will see this posting.

You didn't say if your vet did testing to rule out Hypothyroidism (Cushings Disease), which can cause skin problems that include scaly skin and dark skin on the abdomen. Golden Retrievers are one of the breeds prone to develop Cushings. With the bad smell, there is a good chance that she had either a bacterial yeast infection. If the condition returns, you might consider having your vet do a "cytology" on the affected skin. This simple test will show If there are yeast cells present on your dog's skin, which could then be treated with an oral anti-fungal medication. If it turns out to be a bacterial infection then it will likely be treated with a course of antibiotics.

While it's great your home remedy seems to have cured your dog's condition, most of the time the most direct route to a fast and successful treatment is to have a veterinarian diagnose the problem. There's no way to guess if the dog is having problem like Cushings, which is something that really needs treatment. Left untreated, Cushing's disease will progress and can lead to life-threatening disorders such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, and liver and kidney failure.

Best of luck!

Patti