Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 12/6/2011

Question
hi

I have a 14 week old female cocker spaniel puppy.   She has developed small pussy spots on her stomach and the inside of her hind legs.   They appear and are there for a few days then dissapear by which time new ones have started.   They dont seem to be annoying her, she is eating and drinking well.   Not scratching the area and there is no bad smell.   the spots dont appear anywhere else.   Should i take her to the vet to get it checked out or could you give me any advice on what this may be?

Many thanks

Answer
This is very common in pups and it is most likely a bacterial infection (pyoderma).  You can wash that area daily to keep it clean.  I personally like to see pups get this and resolve it on their own.  That tells me that they are immunizing themselves against Staph bacteria and that may translate into better resistance to skin infections later on in life.  I only treat these pups when there is a severe, spreading infection that they cannot resolve.