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A Jack Russell With a Darkened Patch and Bumps on His Nose

by A reader


Reader Question
We have a Jack Russell. When the neighbor's dog was in heat, she jumped our fence to get to him. She is tall, so we didn't think they mated. He was trying to dig under the fence. Later we saw a patch of raw skin, which we thought was from scraping himself digging. It healed and the skin turned black. Now that dog is in heat again, and we caught him trying to dig out again. I'm hoping this isn't canine herpes. He has also developed a couple of wart-like bumps on his nose. He had a couple before and they went away. Canine warts? He acts fine and is happy.


Answer from Our Team

A raw scrape that heals and turns black is a very common result of skin healing. The skin darkens (hyperpigmentation) after an injury or rubbing and may stay dark for a long time. It isn't a sign of an infection.

Canine herpes doesn't cause skin patches like this in adult dogs. In adults it usually causes no signs at all, or mild genital sores, and it's mainly dangerous to newborn puppies.

The bumps on his nose are likely viral warts (papillomas), especially since earlier ones went away on their own, which is what warts usually do within a few months. Have your vet look if a bump grows quickly, bleeds or becomes infected, if they keep spreading, or if he's older and a new bump appears.

See dog warts and black skin in dogs.

This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.

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