Dog's had a change of skin colour. What's going on?

[longwayoff]

Smallish but hefty pug and Jack Russell cross, 6 years old, neutered, no health problems other than sensitivity to grain in foods. He's been away for a couple of weeks and returned with a black belly; previously pink. No fleas, no irritation or itching, no lesions, no hair loss, no apparent discomfort at all. He's not noticeably unwell. Ordinarily I'd ask the vet first but things being what they are just now, can anyone on here tell me anything about this?

[RJnomore1]

This sounds daft bit are you sure it’s the same dog?

[cheeseycracker]

Also slightly daft but have you given him a bath?

[taleforthetimebeing]

My dogs skin pigment can go darker in the summer (like a tan ) it worried me the first time I noticed (although if your dog is 6 I assume you would have seen this already) . If it has gone quite dark it might be hyper pigmentation which I think can cause hair to fall out in extreme cases. Might be worth seeing if you can get a vets appointment.

[midnightstar66]

I'd probably call vets. I ended up with a half hour long chat with mine the other day just for registering new pup and booking second jabs. Lots of questions that they'd normally look at themselves at an initial health check so they are certainly still available and will assess if needs to be seen

[longwayoff]

Yes, thanks for replies, no it's not mud, no hasn't been to groomers, just changed colour, skin colour not hair colour. Not from sun as is his underside which wouldn't be exposed to direct sunlight. Just wondered whether anyone else had experienced this. I've never seen or heard of this and have had dogs all my life. Vet it is then. Thanks to all.

[Kattyy]

Happened to my dog and just like yours he has food sensitivities. It's called hyperpigmentation and can happen because of allergies and a variety of other reasons. Have a look here:
www.msdvetmanual.com/dog-owners/skin-disorders-of-dogs/hyperpigmentation-acanthosis-nigricans-in-dogs

[MaggieMcGill]

I have an Italian greyhound and his belly and the back of his hind legs change from pink to black in Summer. He has already changed colour this year. How long have you had him, did you not notice this last summer?

[SirVixofVixHall]

Has he been lying on his back, sunbathing in a patch of sunlight ? That seems the most likely thing to me.

[vanillandhoney]

Mine gets a darker belly in summer. He goes from pink to having black spots everywhere.

I call them his naughty spots

[SomeoneInTheLaaaaaounge]

Honesty I think it’s dirt - try a good bath first. I’m not saying it’s mud, but their tummy skin does go darker when they haven’t had a wash for a while

[JKScot4]

It’s called hyperpigmentation, can be due to allergy, skin problems which lead to excessive licking itching, don’t panic but do arrange a vet check up.
My DDsdog is the same cross as yours and his darkened, it was a few food allergies.

[MaggieMcGill]

Here are photos of my wee fella. 1st photo was taken at the new year, other 2 just now.

[longwayoff]

Thank you. This is definitely hyperpigmentation then and I'll be seeing the vet with him shortly. Its complete, not patchy, from pink to black everywhere from ears to bum and all exposed skin in between. I can't put pic on here but he looked a lot like your dog Maggie, a couple of weeks ago but now that exposed belly area is black. It's quite alarming to see but he still seems healthy enough. Thank you for the link katyyy. I'll update this when we've seen the vet. Thanks for all the help.