Our Maltese Has Skin Discoloration

Question
I just gave our Maltese, Opal, a bath last night and noticed that she has alot of brown spots on her skin.  I also found a huge black-purpleish spot about the size of a tennis ball on her side.  Her belly has alot of dark spots.  Her skin is normally a pink color with no spots.  She has no other sypmtoms except she has problems with ear infections.

Answer
Hi Shannon,

It's hard to say what this could be without being able to see the dog - especially without other symptoms (scratching, hair loss, etc.) to work with. I could certanly speculate as to what it may be, but I will never give an answer that isn't backed up with education and experience. So, I'm going to recommend you call your veterinary clinic. The tennis ball sized black/purple spot certainly sounds more concerning to me. There are many, many skin conditions seen in dogs. If you call your veterinarian, they will likely be able to tell you over the phone whether or not Opal needs to be seen... and I would guess the answer is going to be yes. Better safe than sorry, and a large purple spot certainly isn't normal.

Good luck, let me know what you find out.

Ashley