# White poodle with pink skin turning black?



## King Kong

Help! I just noticed that my 3 yr old white standard 's skin is turning from baby pink to black. He was pink when groomed a few weeks ago - and when he had emergency surgery to remove a petrified latex glove....but we noticed on Thursday that his inner thighs and genitalia have turned black. We did notice his arm pits were slightly black a while ago but didn't think anything of it because his breeder produces both white and black puppies...figures he might have black in the blood lines?
I had him allergy tested and we switched him to commercial ground raw about three weeks ago. He was raised on breeder required kibble but we switched to lamb or salmon based canned after he bloated this summer. We rotated raw chicken with lamb and fish, and just started beef -- and he seemed to do really well. Has calmed down quite a bit. 
Vets hate to hear that dogs are on raw -- I mentioned switching when he had ear infections in the summer and they went ballistic...basically saying it was dangerous because of salmonella etc...(like they don't ever eat sushi????) and one vet even said they wouldn't treat a dog on raw because of the danger to their staff......hmm

Any suggestions before I go and spend another $5000? So far he's had two major surgeries since July plus two ear infections and a bad reaction to prednisone ----so I'm not thrilled at trusting vets without some prior knowledge.

Thanks!


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## MiniPoo

I don't have any direct experience with this, but if you google this condition it has happened to other white poodles. You can look at the responses yourself. One person mentioned that it is called hyperpigmentation and it may not be something to worry about unless it presents with clinical symptoms like hair loss, drinking a lot, licking, etc. Maybe someone else can give you more information.


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## PoodlePaws

I think as white poodles age it's just tanning of the skin. At least that's what I've heard. Like a black pearly color. ????


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## N2Mischief

The skin of a white poodle will normally turn dark grey to black, especially if they are in the sun. This is normal. Now if the skin is thickening, or itching, or irritated you may be concerned, but if the skin looks normal, just darker, I wouldn't worry too much.

Pictures might help other's to help you


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## My babies

I had asked the same question awhile ago. It does seem to be due to tanning especially in areas that are shaved like the inner thighs and belly. Also if I have them trimmed in a really short coat then that happens too especially in the summer when they are outside.


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## Lou

King Kong said:


> Help! I just noticed that my 3 yr old white standard 's skin is turning from baby pink to black. He was pink when groomed a few weeks ago - and when he had emergency surgery to remove a petrified latex glove....but we noticed on Thursday that his inner thighs and genitalia have turned black. We did notice his arm pits were slightly black a while ago but didn't think anything of it because his breeder produces both white and black puppies...figures he might have black in the blood lines?
> 
> I had him allergy tested and we switched him to commercial ground raw about three weeks ago. He was raised on breeder required kibble but we switched to lamb or salmon based canned after he bloated this summer. We rotated raw chicken with lamb and fish, and just started beef -- and he seemed to do really well. Has calmed down quite a bit.
> 
> Vets hate to hear that dogs are on raw -- I mentioned switching when he had ear infections in the summer and they went ballistic...basically saying it was dangerous because of salmonella etc...(like they don't ever eat sushi????) and one vet even said they wouldn't treat a dog on raw because of the danger to their staff......hmm
> 
> 
> 
> Any suggestions before I go and spend another $5000? So far he's had two major surgeries since July plus two ear infections and a bad reaction to prednisone ----so I'm not thrilled at trusting vets without some prior knowledge.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!



I'm so sorry to hear you have gone through such a tough time. But you seem to be a wonderful poodle parent and I admire you for all your efforts!! Your baby is lucky to have you!!!!!!!!! I don't know anything about this though.. If the darkening of the skin was right after surgery I'd be worried about internal bleeding, but I hear that the skin being blue/black on a white poodle can actually be a good thing, they call it good pigment I think, same as having really black nose and lips. So I'm sorry I'm no help on this, but wanted to let you know that I was very pleased to read about how you have done the best for your poodle. Good luck to you and yours. Please keep us posted 

Ps. Before we moved, this really awesome vet I know recommended I search for a ahaa vet on my new location. Maybe you'll find a good vet you feel comfortable with and can trust there? (If you are in the US.)

American Animal Hospital Association 
www.aahanet.org 


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## King Kong

Thanks for the suggestions! Unfortunately, tanning is not possible for his skin turning black.....we live in the cold white north and haven't seen the sun since September....unless you can tan from snow glare :argh:

My major thought is that something in his raw diet has caused this reaction, and if it hasn't (and is simply a coincidence) the vet will blame it all on his eating raw.
I had him allergy tested through Dr.Dodds and he has only been eating foods that were cleared. However, the breeder told us not to feed him wheat, chicken or beef - only salmon - so he never had anything more than salmon, or lamb or duck kibble until he was cleared, and then we switched to three-ingredient canned because of his bloat and torsion. 

Seriously - my last two poodles lived to 18 and 16 - with very manageable health issues at the end (heart issues in the 18 year old and senility in the 16 year old). I've never spent so much on vet bills and he is only 3 years old.


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## hopetocurl

My white pekepoo's pink skin turned black in splotches.. vet said it was just a sign of aging...like we get age spots... She even had some splotches on her genitalia.


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## pandj

Does he have a black nose and pads ? If so it is probably just pigment. Many white dogs have areas of black skin appear as they age especially if they have really good pigment in their noses and pads.

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## Wild Kitten

King Kong said:


> Vets hate to hear that dogs are on raw -- I mentioned switching when he had ear infections in the summer and they went ballistic...basically saying it was dangerous because of salmonella etc...(*like they don't ever eat sushi????*) and one vet even said they wouldn't treat a dog on raw because of the danger to their staff......hmm


I never had sushi and never would have it either..... not even if you paid me  ..... and I know many people who think the same. 

Regardless, when I fed my previous dog raw (Lucia is not on raw right now), my vet suggested that I would worm him monthly instead of every 3 months since there was a bigger risk for him to get those from raw food. 


Just thought I'd mention it.


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## hunny518

Yes it is tanning. All it takes is some sun...trust me I live in washington state, we never see the sun..lol and my girl is tan...this isn't a picture of my girl but here is a good picture of a white poodle whose skin is tan...

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## N2Mischief

Hunny, that is true, Misha gets next to NO sun, she even uses piddle pads inside, and at 18 months I have noticed her skin is getting darker. Her only sun is when she is carried from the house to the car.


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## PoodleFoster

King Kong said:


> Help! I just noticed that my 3 yr old white standard 's skin is turning from baby pink to black. He was pink when groomed a few weeks ago - and when he had emergency surgery to remove a petrified latex glove....but we noticed on Thursday that his inner thighs and genitalia have turned black. We did notice his arm pits were slightly black a while ago but didn't think anything of it
> 
> This is probably not the same thing, but I thought I'd mention it. I had an apricot male toy poodle who had flea allergies. When I first met him, his owner told me he had been infested with fleas and she put some sort of topical on him. He was chewing his back side, and it was explained to me by the vet that this dog still had the allergies in his system. He lost the hair in a line from the base of his tail about 4" going towards his neck. Almost immediately he lost his lovely pink skin and it turned black. Then the hair started to return sparsely.
> 
> Additionally I had a senior toy poodle who also had black skin on her underside. She had severe skin issues. It was flaky, and resembled pepper in the bathtub when i bathed her. The black skin resolved during the weeks we had her and finally cleared with her new owner. This dog never had fleas, that I know of, so her issues were different.
> 
> IN other words, both of these dogs had black skin on their undersides because of foreign allergens. I have pictures of both if interested in seeing them. These were both foster dogs.


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## ToyPoodleAngel

Hi, I have a toy poodle and I shaved her down to the skin and most of it was pink some real light gray areas. But then she was out in the sun for while and they got darker and a lot more dark spots and blotches everywhere ! So I am assuming this is from the sun. Does this go away or lighten up when not in sun after a while ?


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## twyla

ToyPoodleAngel said:


> Hi, I have a toy poodle and I shaved her down to the skin and most of it was pink some real light gray areas. But then she was out in the sun for while and they got darker and a lot more dark spots and blotches everywhere ! So I am assuming this is from the sun. Does this go away or lighten up when not in sun after a while ?


You are on a 6 year old thread, you may want to post a new thread with your question


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## JPKISS66

Hi my name is JPKISS66 I have a miniature poodle his name is Jazzy and he is a white poodle he is beginning to get brown spots on the side of his eyes I need to know what to do about it


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## Raindrops

JPKISS66 said:


> Hi my name is JPKISS66 I have a miniature poodle his name is Jazzy and he is a white poodle he is beginning to get brown spots on the side of his eyes I need to know what to do about it
> View attachment 468357


Hello! Jazzy has a sweet face. What you are seeing is called tear staining, and it is caused by poorly functioning tear ducts in the eyes. It is common in poodles and particularly noticeable in pale colors. I am sure you will find many threads discussing it if you use the search function on the forum.


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## Dechi

Some foods will make it a lot worse, especially low quality food. Some say they have good results by giving filtered watered instead of tap water. It might also be caused by teething. And sometimes the tear ducts can be blocked (you can have them unblocked when doing the spaying or neutering).

But, the easiest way to take care of it is to keep a clean face (shaved close) and wash the eyes every day.


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## Vita

There are a lot of products to eliminate tear stains on light colored dogs. The Nutri-Vet Eye Rinse Liquid for Dogs is only $5 from Amazon and works well.


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