Observations

Skin changes in your dog: what to note before a vet visit

3 min readPublished by Cori DogEditorial methodUpdated 2026-09-07

When you notice a change in your dog’s skin or coat, it can be hard to describe. You do not need specialist terms: start with where it is, what it looks like and when you first noticed it.

On this page

What to describe

Look at the skin where the coat parts. Describe its colour, whether it is flat or raised, dry or damp, and whether the surface is unbroken. Note thinner areas of coat, changes in texture or shine, any smell and whether it is new. For scratching, licking, chewing, rubbing or shaking, note where it happens and whether there is more than before.

Where is the change? Name the body part and the side. Note whether it stays in one place or appears elsewhere.
When did you first notice it? Write down what changed first and what you see now.

An example in ordinary words

For example: “The skin behind the left ear looks redder than the skin beside it. I first noticed it today.” Add the date to the note. This is an example of a description, not an explanation of the cause.

Keep the note for your visit

Keep dated notes and photographs together in a notebook or on your phone. Our guide to what is worth writing down about a dog’s skin covers the six useful details and comparable photographs. For a packing list and questions to ask, see preparing for the appointment itself.

When to contact a veterinarian

Persistent itch, hair loss, odour, open lesions, ear involvement or a sudden change are each a reason to book an appointment. Painful, open or worsening skin also needs veterinary attention. You do not need to finish a record before calling.

For difficulty breathing, collapse or unresponsiveness, uncontrolled bleeding, seizures, or suspected poisoning, contact emergency veterinary care now.

What varies normally

Skin and coat vary between dogs, across the body, with age and with season. Studies in healthy dogs found variation in the thickness of the outer skin layer by body site and in surface pH by age and site. Read more about how canine skin is built.

Hair grows, rests and is shed in cycles. A study following dogs of different breeds over a year found that the balance of growing and resting hairs varied with coat type; in seasonally cycling coats it also shifted with temperature and day length. These general findings cannot tell you whether a change in your dog is normal.

What needs a veterinary examination

A description or photograph cannot identify the cause, tell you how serious a change is or confirm that it is safe to wait. A veterinarian can examine your dog and arrange tests when needed. General information about variation in dogs cannot settle what is normal for your dog.

Sources and limitations

Sources for this guide

Each note explains what its source supports. Dog studies describe only the dogs and measurements studied, not product benefits. Sources on human cosmetics explain terminology and formulation; they are not pet-product law, canine approval or proof about a finished shampoo.

Source 1
Lloyd et al. — epidermal structure and surface topography of canine skin
Measurements of canine skin, including differences in outer-layer thickness by body site. The study measured dogs only, made no human-skin comparison and did not assess grooming products or the meaning of a change in an individual dog.
Source 2
Schlake et al. — physiological factors and canine skin pH
A prospective study of 77 healthy dogs showing skin-pH variation by age and body site. It sets no ideal pH for a dog or shampoo and supports no claim here about breed or season.
Source 3
Favarato & Conceição — hair cycle in dogs with different hair types
A study following dogs of three breeds with different hair types through a full year of monthly coat examinations, in one region of Brazil. The balance between growing and resting hairs shifted with temperature and day length in the breeds where the cycle was seasonal, and differed between hair types. It supports only that coat growth is cyclical and varies; it says nothing about what any individual dog's shedding means.
Source 4
WSAVA — Principles of Wellness: Dermatology
General veterinary guidance on individual skin and coat care and assessment of abnormalities or increased or severe itch. It identifies no cause, recommends no treatment for an individual animal and sets no universal bathing interval.