Yes, dogs get pimples. True dog acne shows up on the chin, lips and muzzle, mostly in young dogs with short coats, and it seems to start with short chin hairs breaking off and irritating the follicle rather than with hormones. Hands off: squeezing pushes the problem deeper into the skin.
If the spots you found are on your dog's belly, back or near the tail, or they appeared in an adult or senior dog, they are probably something other than acne. Fleas, bites, mites, infections and lumps can all look like pimples, and a vet is the one who can tell them apart.
Where dog acne shows up (and where it doesn't)
Veterinarians also call dog acne muzzle folliculitis and furunculosis: inflammation of the hair follicles (folliculitis) that can progress to follicles bursting under the skin (furunculosis). It sits under the chin, around the mouth and on the lower lips. According to petMD's veterinarian-written overview, the muzzle is typically the only area affected.
So can a dog get pimples on its belly, back or neck? It can get bumps that look like pimples almost anywhere, but away from the muzzle they are rarely acne. This is what those spots more often turn out to be. Use it as a guide for what to tell your vet, not a way to diagnose at home.
What you see | Where | What it might be |
|---|---|---|
Red bumps, pimples with pus, scabs, rings of peeling skin, patchy hair loss | Belly, armpits, groin, trunk | Bacterial folliculitis or a wider skin infection (pyoderma), usually set off by another problem such as allergies |
Crusty, very itchy skin, scabs, hair loss | Hips, base of the tail, thighs | Flea allergy. Allergic dogs can groom so much that you never see a flea |
Raised, red, itchy welts that appear within minutes to hours | Back, flanks, neck, eyelids, legs | Hives, often from an insect bite or sting, a shampoo or a medicine |
One to five small hairless, red, scaly patches, little or no itch | Small patches, usually in dogs under a year | Localized demodectic mange (Demodex mites) |
Raised lumps that look like acne, scabs, swollen skin, hair loss | Anywhere, often widespread | Generalized demodectic mange. In adult dogs it is often linked to an illness weakening the immune system |
Several small growths on the skin or in the mouth | Skin, lips, mouth | Warts (papillomas), caused by a virus; multiple warts are typical of younger dogs |
A single lump that stays, grows or changes | Anywhere | A cyst or a skin tumor. Only testing can tell which |
What dog acne looks like
Run a finger under your dog's chin or look at it in good light. Early acne looks like:
- Small red bumps (papules) on the chin and lips
- Pimples with a white or yellow center (pustules), filled with pus
- Small bald patches where hair has come out around the bumps
Most dogs with mild acne don't seem bothered, though some are a little itchy and rub their chin on the carpet or furniture.
When acne gets worse, the follicles rupture and bacteria move in. The whole chin and lips can swell, and you may see bleeding sores, oozing, crusts and scabs. This deeper stage (a deep skin infection, or pyoderma) is painful, and badly affected skin can scar for good, according to VCA Animal Hospitals.
Why dogs get pimples
Nobody fully understands the cause, but the leading explanation is surprisingly mechanical. The short, bristly hairs on a dog's chin break off near the skin when the chin rubs on things: the floor, a rough-edged food bowl, a toy, a play partner, the dirt the dog just rooted through. The broken hair end gets pushed back into the follicle. The follicle swells, can burst under the skin, and the body treats what spills out as foreign material, which drives more inflammation. Early on the bumps are often not infected, but damaged skin is easy for bacteria to colonize.
That is also why VCA's veterinarians warn against squeezing: pressure ruptures more follicles under the skin.
Things that make a dog more likely to get chin acne:
- Short coat and breed. Boxers, English and French bulldogs, Great Danes, German shorthaired pointers, Weimaraners, mastiffs, Rottweilers, Labrador retrievers and Doberman pinschers are among the breeds affected most, and genetics is thought to play a big part.
- Lots of chin contact. Face rubbing, rough play, rooting in dirt, and eating from a scratched plastic bowl. Some dogs react to plastic itself, and bacteria and yeast can hide in tiny scratches in plastic dishes.
- Itchy skin. A dog with allergies rubs its face more, which can set off acne or make it worse. Your vet may look for food or environmental allergies.
What about hormones? You will read that "teenage" hormones cause dog acne, as they do in people. The veterinary sources we checked don't support that. They point to trauma to the hairs, breed and allergies instead.
Can puppies get pimples?
Yes, and puppies and young dogs are the main patients. Most dogs with chin acne are between about 6 months and a year old, and it is common in puppies under 12 months. Many cases are mild. Some keep coming back, and a board-certified veterinary dermatologist writing in dvm360 describes the condition as one that tends to "wax and wane."
What else could those spots be?
So, do dogs get spots? They do, and many of them aren't acne. Many skin problems produce small red bumps, pus-filled pimples or crusty dots, and on the body several are more common than acne. The table near the top lists the usual suspects. Two deserve a closer look.
Acne-like bumps that start in an adult or senior dog. Typical dog acne starts young. When a grown dog suddenly gets pimples, demodectic mange is one of the things your vet will check for. The Merck Veterinary Manual notes that adult-onset generalized mange often follows a disease that has suppressed the immune system, such as Cushing's disease, hypothyroidism, diabetes or cancer. Hypothyroidism and Cushing's are also on the list of underlying causes vets check when skin infections keep coming back.
A bump that doesn't go away. Skin tumors are the most common tumors in dogs, and they usually look like small lumps or bumps. You can't tell a tumor from an inflamed bump by looking, so the Merck Veterinary Manual is clear that identifying them should be left to a veterinarian, who can take a few cells with a fine needle or a small biopsy. Mast cell tumors, the most common malignant skin tumor in dogs, can look like a harmless fatty lump. Our guide to neoplasia in dogs answers the questions owners ask next.
Can dogs get blackheads?
Some can. The clearest example is hairless dogs: in a research colony of hairless descendants of Mexican hairless dogs, blackheads (comedones) formed on their own across the back and limbs and around the prepuce. If you see blackheads on any dog, mention them to your vet, and don't squeeze them.
How vets treat dog acne
Your vet can often recognize acne from where it is and what it looks like. Because mange, ringworm and other conditions can look similar, especially in puppies, the visit may include:
- Skin scrapings or hair plucks to look for Demodex mites
- Cytology, looking at cells from a pimple under the microscope for bacteria or yeast
- A fungal culture for ringworm
- A bacterial culture if the skin is infected or not healing, so the antibiotic matches the bacteria
- A skin biopsy for unusual, severe or stubborn cases
Treatment depends on how deep it goes:
- Mild acne: a medicated wash or gel (benzoyl peroxide products are the most common choice) to flush the follicles and cut down bacteria.
- Infected acne: an antibiotic ointment or antibiotic tablets. Deep infections can take weeks to heal, so finish the full course your vet prescribes even when the chin looks better.
- Inflamed or swollen skin: an anti-inflammatory medicine.
- An underlying cause: treating allergies, mites or another skin disease, or stopping the chin trauma, so the acne doesn't keep returning.
Your vet chooses the product, the dose and how long to use it. Some dogs need ongoing care to keep flare-ups away.
What you can do at home (and what to skip)
Your part is real, but small. Do these:
- Keep your hands off. No squeezing, popping or picking.
- Switch to stainless steel or ceramic bowls and replace scratched plastic ones.
- Keep the chin clean and dry. Ask your vet how to clean it and with what.
- Cut down on chin rubbing where you can: rough play, face-rubbing on carpet, rooting in the yard.
- Watch for changes: more bumps, swelling, bleeding or a dog that won't let you touch its face.
Should I pop my dog's pimples or blackheads?
No. Squeezing makes more follicles burst under the skin, which means more inflammation, more risk of infection and a higher chance of scarring. The same goes for scraping, scrubbing or "exfoliating" the chin.
Can I use human pimple products for dog acne?
No. Don't use human acne creams, face washes or spot treatments unless your vet says so. If your dog needs a medicated wash or gel, your vet will pick one for your dog.
What about apple cider vinegar, coconut oil or aloe?
Skip them. None of the veterinary sources we checked recommend home remedies such as apple cider vinegar, coconut or CBD oil, aloe or oatmeal washes for dog acne, and an infected chin needs your vet's diagnosis first. A chin that keeps flaring up is a reason for a vet visit, not a stronger home recipe.
When to call your vet
- Call now if your dog has hives and any trouble breathing, or if hives start after a vaccine or a new medicine. Severe allergic reactions can swell the airway.
- Call today if hives come with swelling of the face, eyelids or muzzle, or if the chin is swollen, bleeding, oozing or painful.
- See your vet soon if you see red bumps or pimples on your dog's chin or lips, bumps keep coming back or spread, an adult or senior dog suddenly develops pimples, or you find a new lump anywhere on the body.
- Mention it at your next visit if your dog had a few hives that faded within a few hours and your dog has been completely normal since. If they come back, book sooner.
Whatever the spot, it helps to note when you first saw it, whether it has changed, and whether your dog is itchy or acting differently. Photos on your phone, taken a few days apart, are useful too.
Is dog acne contagious?
Usually not. Dog acne starts from damaged follicles, not from something your dog caught, and even when an infection develops on top, the chance of it spreading is considered small. Some look-alikes are a different story: ringworm, a fungal infection, spreads between pets and people, which is one more reason to get the diagnosis right.
Does dog acne go away on its own?
Sometimes. Mild early acne can settle without treatment, according to Vetster's veterinarian-verified overview, while petMD's veterinarian notes that chin acne usually needs some form of treatment. Either way, a vet should check bumps that spread, hurt or bleed. Deep, infected acne can take many weeks to heal and may leave scars, and some dogs have flare-ups again later. Many do well once the source of the chin trauma is found and flare-ups are treated early.
Sources
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Acne in Dogs (Canine Acne)
- petMD: Dog Acne (Amanda Simonson, DVM)
- Vetster: Acne in Dogs
- dvm360: How do you manage canine chin acne? (Ian Spiegel, VMD, DACVD)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Pyoderma in Dogs and Cats
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Pyoderma in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Mite Infestation (Mange) in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Fleas of Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Hives and Rashes (Urticaria) in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Allergies in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Tumors of the Skin in Dogs
- CDC: How Ringworm Spreads
- Kimura T, Doi K. Spontaneous comedones on the skin of hairless descendants of Mexican hairless dogs. Exp Anim. 1996
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.
