Has any one seen this before? Help

My Pug is 7yrs old and over weight,but very happy boy,Hes name is chester,for the last couple weeks we noticed his butt is like turning black color,like it was bruised but not,any one no what that is, now he has the runs,im feeding him chicken&rice, hes eating a little, im not a wealthy person but im very worried i love my pug! PLEASE ANYONE

My very first suggestion would be for you to get your vet's opinion.

If the price of a single consultation is out of reach for you then, I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, how can you possibly afford medical treatment for him if there is something requiring treatment?

Nevertheless, first question: is the skin on his belly also turning dark?

Second question: has his diet changed within the last few months?

His food was changed about 3 weeks ago to beneful. It was a sudden change which sort of explains his horrible gas. But we didn't think it would last this long. He seems to be getting worse; or just not any better.

Is there something I can give him for the gas?

He has been eating very little as well. When the food was first changed, he loved it and ate it all. Now, he's barely eating at all.

There are a couple dark spots on his belly as well.

OOPS!

I forgot to say

dlblakedelton wrote:His food was changed about 3 weeks ago to beneful. It was a sudden change which sort of explains his horrible gas. But we didn't think it would last this long. He seems to be getting worse; or just not any better.

Is there something I can give him for the gas?

He has been eating very little as well. When the food was first changed, he loved it and ate it all. Now, he's barely eating at all.

Skin turning dark on anus and often belly usually has one of two causes:

(1) hormone (often thyroid) imbalance - to test this requires blood samples to be taken by your vet and can be treated with medication.

(2) the immune system becoming inbalanced due to exposure to an allergen (often a food) so that yeasts and fungi normally kept in check by the immune system get out of control causing all sorts of symptoms, including the skin discoloration.

If it was me, I would get his hormone levels checked by your vet. There is a reasonable chance that he is allergic to some ingredient in the new food (it could easily be that a colouring or flavouring in it has triggered a protein allergy). The gas is a sympton of poor and/or imbalanced digestion. I would guess that the Beneful is not suiting his insides at all.

What was he eating before you changed his food and why did you need to change it?

He was eating Kibbles & Bits before... Not the greatest, but he liked it. We switched to get him on a healthier diet. He's a bit over-weight. Not too horrible though.

Thank you for your advise though!!!! I appreciate everything you've said so far. Were going out of town tomorrow so I will defitinitely get him checked out if it's still going on when we get back.

I suspect it is pretty unlikely to clear up on its own, unfortunately, in either case, and the lack of appetite suggests that he has some problems. :(

Meanwhile, to help with both the runs and the gas add about a tablespoon of canned pumpkin to his chicken and rice meals, and see if he will take a little plain, non-fat yoghurt (preferrably one that includes a bifidus culture).

Sad to say that once a protein allergy is triggered, it is not easily reversible. Luckily we have some experts here that will be able to give you a lot of good advice on that score, plus those who know a great deal more about US commercial dog foods than I may even be able to make a guess at which protein might be the allergen.

If it is hormonal (you would probably notice some hair loss as well, but not necessarily) it can clear up quite rapidly with the right medication.

Keep us updated on how he is - how long will you be away?

Edited to add: I am assuming, when you say chicken and rice, that you are cooking those for him as easy to digest meals while he has the diarrhea. If you meant a flavour of Beneful, my apologies but I don't think adding pumpkin and probiotics to that will really help all that much...

dlblakedelton wrote:He was eating Kibbles & Bits before... Not the greatest, but he liked it. We switched to get him on a healthier diet. He's a bit over-weight. Not too horrible though.

Unfortunately beneful is no healther than Kibbles & bits. Both have a 1-star rating with dog food advisor:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/brand/

Look at ingredients- if corn is somewhere in the top five ingredients, then the dog food is probably not all that great. If he was doing better on Kibble & Bits, than Beneful, then keep him on it.

Meanwhile, look thru the list of foods on that site I gave you. If you have a pet-food supply house somewhere nearby, maybe check into getting a higher quality dog food. The higher quality is more expensive, but will help in the long run, plus you get less poop!

Good luck on your choices. And wlecome to Pug Authority.

To go along with what the others have suggested a better quality, more expensive food will save you money in the long run in vet bills. Besides that, you can feed your pet less in volume becausse the nutrients are more available for them to use in a high quality food.

Both of the foods you mentioned are loaded with lots of fillers that provide no nutrition. There are a few very good quality dog foods that are not too expensive that can make a huge difference in a dog's coat, skin and intestines. Natural Balance which can be found at Petco is a good start. Never feed the amounts that are on the dog food bag as they tend to be far to generous as they want you to feed more so you can buy more. I am not sure how much you are feeding, but I would try feeding 1/2 cup twice a day. If that is the amount you are already feeding then make it 1/3 cup twice a day. A pug is always going to act as if they are starving even after eating so don't get suckered into giving more. If you give treats, break them into very small pieces. Dogs are just happy to get something and whether small or large pieces are given, they don't understand. Watch out for the treats as so many of them are also filled with lots of junk that can cause allergies or intestinal problems.

If you are feeding boiled chicken and riced and diarrhea still exists then I would at a minimum take a fecal sample to the vet. There is also some can dog food the vet can give that has seemed to calm down my guy's stomachs better then boiled chicken and rice. My female pug Chyna who suffers from food allergies plus regular allergies will often get black skin around her butt and stomach. It usually happens in the spring or if she gets food that does not belong to her since I feed her different food from the others.