canine acne

Question
Hi
I have a 16 month old lab boxer mix who was diagnosed with HOD when he was 4 months old.(not sure if that is related or not)  He developed over the winter what we thought was just "pimples" on his large flappy jowls.  My husband has been squeezing them and they clear up.  We have also noted this past few months that he licks his paws alot.  

I also have a 6 month old Boston Terrier and now he is also developing the same "pimples" on his lips and chin.  So I started investigating this online.  I have read that it can be allergies to food or environmental things.  Is it possible for both the dogs to have the same problem?  or could it be that they both share food and water dishes?  Any other thoguhts or advice?  What can I do to make them better?

Thnaks for any advice. Cristi  

Answer
Hello Cristi,

I'm not sure if canine acne is con tasgius or not my other dog never got it when my labrador had thme and the other dog is a jack russell terrier with rather sever allergys.... to what we still don't know. I'm not a vet I have no idea what HOD stands for lol, THe breeds with the faces/lips like the boxer/boston terriers/masstifs and pitbulls would be more prone to getting acne because of light drooling and in the case of all the dogs mentioned smooth soft tight fitting coats, I expect my 3 month old bosotn terrier female to get acne when she is older... its something I went into this adventure thinking because of the facal struture of the dog. My backyard has no grass and is very dusty this may explain why my jack russell terrier gets bad allergys but doesnt explain it over the winters, allergys can be from almost anything it sucks I know because i have to take allergy pill everyday and I don't know what I'm allergic too either... i simpatise with my poor little JRT(Luke) when he is very itchy because if I skip pills I cant sleep, he takes benadryl allergy pills once or twice a day 25 ml caplets. My dogs get some many different types of food/treats/rawhides I would be hard pressed to stop giving these too my other dogs because of my JRT they wouldnt be all that happy either! If you suspect allergys in yuor dogs have a visit with your vet and ask about allergies in dogs, what can cause them, what can be done to pervent outbreaks and why is it both your dogs have the problem? was it bad breeding? just the breed itsself? Have a long chat with your vet. Thats about all I can do I love to help people with there questions but I am not a vet and can't cover what they can in terms of information or treatment...sorry, take care of your two pups.