How do you get rid of pimple like bumps on dogs

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

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What to know about canine acne and how to treat it

Of course, youll want to try your best to prevent dog acne in the first place. Follow these steps to keep your pups skin healthy, especially if theyre a breed prone to breakouts.

Good hygiene

Just like you exfoliate to keep pores clean and free of excess dirt and oil, dogs can benefit from the same level of care for their skin and coat. Regular baths will keep bacteria, dust, and other irritants at bay. If your dog has flappy skin, be sure to scrub out any dirt that gets trapped under the folds. Dog paw balms can also go a long way in reducing skin discomfort.

Youll also want to practice good doggie dental care. The bacteria that reside in your dogs mouth can make its way onto their chin as they go about their day, setting them up for acne. Brush their teeth regularly to lower the chance of irritation to their muzzle and prevent infection.

Keep them dry

Moisture that builds up when your dogs muzzle gets wet can lead to a bacterial infection. If your best friend drools a lot or is a sloppy drinker, keep a rag handy for wiping their muzzle. Youll also want to thoroughly dry them after a bath, swim, or walk through the rain.

Avoid skin trauma

As mentioned, trauma to the skin can contribute to dog acne. Make sure toys dont have rough edges that could scrape the skin. Investing in glass, ceramic, or steel bowls can also reduce the risk of the adverse reactions some dogs get from plastic bowls, including acne.

If your dog is playing with another dog, be ready to intervene if it gets out of hand and they start biting. Also, look around your pups environment and reduce their exposure to things that could irritate their curious little muzzles.

Stay clean

If your dogs bed or favorite blanket gets dirty, they can develop all kinds of skin issues, including acne. Regularly wash the fabrics they come into contact with daily, like bedding, dog sweaters, and collars. Youll also want to wipe off their toys since theyre going into your pups mouth.

In conclusion, finding a zit, or cluster of zits, on your dog can be jarring, but luckily there is a wide range of treatment methods to get your fur-ever friend the help they need for this skin condition. As long as you take preventative measures and consult your veterinarian when symptoms begin to present, you can ensure your dog is getting the help they need.

Lumps and Bumps on Dogs Skin: Signs, Symptoms, Causes

What is that strange bump on your dog? Discovering a skin lump or bump on your dog can set your mind reeling and heart racing, but theres no need to panic. A bump on your dog doesnt automatically mean cancer. While skin bumps and strange lumps on dogs should always be taken seriously, certain types of bumps are more common than you might think, and theyre often harmless.

Types of Skin Lumps and Bumps on Dogs

Skin bumps that youre likely to find on your dog fall into several categories. Some of these are more common in older dogs. As a new puppy owner, youll want to file these away and keep an eye out for them as your pup ages. While some of these are non-cancerous, some can be caused by infections or other underlying conditions. Its always best to have a veterinarian examine and diagnose anychanges to your dogs skinand determine a course of treatment, if needed.

Lipomas

These fatty tumors appear as soft, round lumps of flesh beneath the skin. Theyre made up entirely of fat cells and are always benign, or non-cancerous. Lipomas are usually found in older dogs and dogs who are overweight. Larger breeds are more prone to them, although they can be found in small breeds as well. Your vet may perform a fine needle aspirate, using a thin needle to collect cells and examine them under a microscope to verify that theyre fatty tissue.

Sebaceous Cysts

These are smaller bumps that can look like a pimple or a wart. They form from blocked oil glands and may burst and release a pasty, white goo. These most commonly occur in breeds with fine hair, like the Poodle and the Bichon Frise. They may disappear on their own, although some can remain for years and have the potential to become infected. Surgical removal is an option if they irritate your dog.

Warts

These small, cauliflower-like bumps are caused by the papillomavirus. They occur most often in puppies who dont yet have fully-developed immune systems and usually disappear on their own. Although the virus is contagious between dogs, it cant be transmitted from dogs to humans.

Skin Tags

These are fibrous bumps that look like small flaps or raised stalks of skin, although they may occasionally look like small bumps. They may or may not have hair growing on them. Skin tags are caused by overactive cells called fibroblasts and can occur in dogs of any breed or any age. Theyre often harmless, although your vet might want to do a biopsy to make sure, especially if the tag changes in shape, color or size.

Abscesses

Usually caused by an infection, abscesses are swollen tissue that can form around bug bites, animal bites, infected glands, and other types of sores. If not treated early they may burst, which is painful for your dog. Antibiotics may be required to treat the infection.

Button Tumors

Also known as a histiocytoma, these are benign tumors that affect puppies and young dogs between eight weeks and three years of age. Theyre caused by an overproduction of immune cells and typically disappear on their own.

Mast Cell Tumors

These are cancerous tumors that may occur either beneath or on top of the skin. Theyre often solid to the touch and irregular in shape. The appearance of such a tumor should receive immediate attention from a veterinarian. Theyll likely want to remove the tumor, if possible, before performing a biopsy to determine if cancer might have spread through your dogs body. If surgical removal isnt possible, you may be referred to a veterinary oncologist for chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

Most Common Bumps and Lumps on Puppies

Thankfully, cancer in puppies is rare. The most common types of lumps or bumps found on puppies are warts, skin tags, button tumors, and abscesses. In these cases, your dogs veterinarian may recommend a wart ointment or other skin treatment. There are also some supplements that claim to help dissolve fatty lipoma skin lumps on dogs. Its also not unusual for puppies to develop swelling at the site of a vaccination injection, caused by a conglomeration of immune cells that gather there.

Typically, this vaccination site swelling subsides within a week. However, in rare cases, this gathering of cells can turn into a malignant tumor. Contact your vet if a vaccination lump lasts more than a week. They may advise you to keep a watchful eye on it and bring your pup in for a biopsy if the lump continues past three months, is more than an inch in diameter, or continues to grow or change shape.

Although its rare, it is possible for puppies to develop certain types of cancer, so its important to have any lumps, bumps, or other changes in your puppys skin examined by a veterinarian.

When Should You Worry About a Dogs Skin Bump?

Have your dog examined immediately if you discover a lump thats hard or firm to the touch, irregularly shaped, or if you notice a change in any existing lumps or bumps regarding size, texture, or color. Your vet should also immediately take a look at any bumps that ooze fluid. But again, while some lumps and bumps are harmless, its best to let your vet take a look at any new bumps or lumps on your dog and let your veterinarian make that determination.

Dealing with the possibility of tumors or infections in your dog or puppy can be costly as well as emotionally stressful for both you and your pet. Pet health insurance can help cover some of the cost, giving you one less thing to worry about and letting you focus on the best treatment options for your companion.

Dog Acne

What Is Dog Acne?

Dog acne is inflammation of the lips and the skin of the muzzle, which can appear as red bumps or pimples on the skin. Acne may begin as folliculitis, which is when short hairs push below the skins surface and become inflamed.

Acne may also occur due to furunculosis, which is when the hair follicle under the skin (also known as muzzle folliculitis and furunculosis) becomes painful, infected, and inflamed, often filled with pus. This occurs when short hairs on the surface of the skin break and are pushed below the skin surface in the follicle.

In both these cases, there is trauma to the tissues, and it can create a chronic condition in which secondary bacterial or fungal infections can complicate the process.

This condition is fairly common in young, short, coated breeds of dogs.

Symptoms of Dog Acne

Dog acne most commonly appears on the bottom of the chin, skin around the mouth, and lower lips. It can look like red bumps, hairless areas, and swelling of the muzzle. As the condition progresses, the bumps can become infected, grow, ooze, or drain fluid.

Causes of Dog Acne

Although the cause of dog acne is often unknown, possible factors include:

Skin damage from rough play or rubbing the face on a rough surface
Itching and rubbing triggered by an underlying skin allergy
Age (most dogs with chin acne are between 6 months and a year old)

Short hair breeds, such as Boxer, Doberman Pinscher, English Bulldog, Great Dane, Weimaraner, English Mastiff, Rottweiler, and German Short Haired Pointer

Dog acne is unique in that typically the only area of the dog affected is the muzzle.

In many cases, the cause of acne is unknown. Some possible causes are localized trauma from rough play or rubbing face on carpet or on rough surfaces. Some pets itch and rub from underlying skin allergies (that affect many parts of the body), and this can complicate or cause the initial acne flare. Not all dogs of the short haired breeds develop chin acne, so its likely genetics and environmental causes play a role in this condition.

How Veterinarians Diagnose Dog Acne

It is important to schedule a visit with your veterinarian if you believe your dog has developed acne and is exhibiting any of the above symptoms.

Your veterinarian will want to rule out other conditions, such as:

Demodicosis: A type of mange that is typically diagnosed through an examine of skin scrapings under a microscope.
Ringworm: In its early stages this fungus resembles acne, so your veterinarian will pluck several hairs for a culture. It typically takes 10 to 14 days to determine whether there is a fungal infection.
Puppy Strangles: A skin disorder that appears in puppies and can resemble acne.

Typically, your veterinarian will do a thorough examination and ask for history regarding diet, treats, supplements, and home environment (your vet may ask about the types of dishes used for pets or whether other pets are in the home). Some pets can have a contact reaction to plastic bowls. Also, it is possible that contamination of bacteria or yeast can hide in micro scratches on plastic dishes.

Your vet may also take skin samples to look for secondary bacteria, yeast, or Demodex mites and possibly order a dermatophyte fungal culture. A bacterial culture may be taken if the acne shows signs of draining to identify the type of bacteria.

In rare cases, a biopsy may be performed to check deep disease, unusual lesions, or cases not responding to therapy.

Treatment of Dog Acne

Treatment of dog acne can include medication, dietary changes, and behavioral therapy.

Your veterinarian may prescribe topical or oral medications to reduce inflammation and fight any bacterial infection, if necessary. Medications can include:

Anti-inflammatories
Antibiotics
Antifungals

Your vet may suggest behavioral therapy to help your dog avoid injuring the area from rough play or rubbing their face on rough surfaces. Your vet may also recommend how to properly clean the infected area to prevent secondary infections.

If your vet finds that your dog has an underlying allergy, they may suggest diet therapy, supplements, and allergy medications (prescription or over-the-counter).

Recovery and Management of Dog Acne

Most dogs with acne recover with proper treatment but do require management, which may include preventing recurring trauma, using topical medications during flare ups, and long-term allergy management if necessary. Some severe cases can result in scarring and can be prone to lesion recurrence.

Dog Acne FAQs

What can I do at home to help my dog's acne?

Behavioral modification to limit contact with rough surfaces or rough play can help limit hair breakage. Keeping the chin area clean and dry can help prevent secondary infections.

Will dog acne go away on its own?

Because the follicle becomes inflamed when the broken hair is pushed deep under the skin, dog chin acne usually requires some form of treatment. The treatment may be mild to significant depending on the individual case. Some dogs with a deep skin infection (pyoderma) may require several months on medications.

Is dog acne contagious?

Most often dog acne is not contagious. If there is a secondary bacterial or fungal infection, the chance of spreading the infection is minimal.

References

Short Jeanmarie DMV.VINcyclopedia of Diseases. Furunculosis/Folliculitis, Muzzle (Canine). Doerr, Katherine DMV. Muzzle Folliculitis and Furunculosis (Chin Acne, Muzzle Acne) in Dogs. Veterinary Partner, 9 June 2020, veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&catId=102899&id=9707008.

Featured Image: iStock.com/Aladino Gonzalez

WRITTEN BY

Amanda Simonson, DVM

Veterinarian

I am a veterinarian passionate about helping animals. I practiced for 15 years in the hospital setting doing medicine, surgery, preventive...