3 Year old Chihuahua with red skin..no itching

Question
Hi. We are quite concerned, we went out of town this weekend and left our Chihuahua with my mom and dad. When we arrived to pick her up she was excited and acting normal, however when my daughter picked her up, her belly was bright red and it extended to her chest. She was/is not itching, but the redness will not go away. My mom and dad claim nothing abnormal happened, and said they noticed the redness on Sat. but weren't worried because she was acting normal and not scratching. She is eating and drinking but did vomit once today. Any advice you can offer will be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi Laverne,

If your dog isn't itching or otherwise paying any special attention to her red belly, and if she's acting okay,  and also eating normally, there isn't much I can suggest. It sounds like whatever it is, isn't bothering your dog.

You can try bathing your dog with a medicated shampoo for skin conditions, such as AvoDerm Natural Oatmeal Shampoo for dogs, or Nova Pearls Coal Tar Shampoo, to see if that helps any.  You could also dab a little 100% pure Aloe Vera gel onto her red belly. Aloe is soothing for skin conditions, and it's safe if your dog licks it off. If you apply the gel right before taking your dog on a leashed walk, it will have time to sink in and work, rather than being immediately licked off.

At this point just keeping an eye on the her, and taking her promptly to the vet should itching begin, or if her skin condition changes, is all you can do.

The redness might just be a contact irritation from something at your mother's home. This could be caused by just about anything, from the kind of laundry detergent your mom uses, to a reaction to chemicals used to treat the lawn, or a carpet cleaner, etc.  It's impossible to guess.

I would imagine by the weekend you will be seeing an improvement of the mysterious redness.

Best of luck,

Patti