Red vulva

Hello, I have a 11 month old poodle/chihuahua mix. She seems to have a very red rash on her vulva that appeared over night. Do you know what it is? How to treat it? Will coconut oil work?

Hello!  Could it be possible that your female dog is coming into season?  This can lead to the licking of their vulva and can sometimes cause a rash.  It's worth having a chat to your vet about, so that you know what to expect - it is hard to spot 'abnormal' seasons without an understanding of what normal ones look should like, for example.  In general, only unspeyed dogs have seasons. Another possibility may be a skin allergy, although your dog may be on the young side to develop one.  Itchy skin can be triggered by the presence of fleas in the environment, and whatever makes a dog scratch, can lead to infection eg by skin-yeasts settling in the warmth of the damaged skin by the vulval fold.  Where infection occurs, it is usually secondary to allergy.  Some dogs have a deeper fold than others, making them more likely to get yeast infections.  Whatever the cause, I am not a fan of coconut oil as a first line treatment for skin changes, although I know that it seems to get good results in some dogs some of the time.  Coconut is an allergen and where skin allergies exist, applying more allergens as first aid can perpetuate a cycle - as can applying a greasy layer that prevents skin from 'breathing'. Furthermore, it may have an effect on inflammation but doesn't treat the underlying cause of any itching; flea-related disease needs to be addressed by killing any fleas, for example;  seasons perhaps by speying, if breeding is not the intention.   It sounds as though showing this vulval fold and its owner to your vet would be a great place to start in this case.