...for our experienced friends. Actually 2 questions.

I just bathed my little bitch and when I was drying her, I couldn't help notice a black pigmentation around her teats which has been there since she whelped last December. Its actually on a couple of them and dotted around and I must be honest, my first thought was flea blood!  For the past year I've been giving it a thorough washing at bath time but it never comes off so then I thought it was just pigmentation, like when the human aereola darkens after child birth. 
Anyway, tonight it was bugging me more than usual so I had a little scratch with my nail and it came off, though not really easily and I thought it felt kind of "waxy".  Can anyone give me a definitive explanation of what it is or even just might be please?  My dogs are flea and worm treated monthly with Advocate so I can't see how it could be related to fleas, but I really just don't know.
The other question is, my girl is due in season any time now...(I posted a question about "encouraging" her season last week) although there are no obvious signs yet....except, whilst I was trying to remove the pigment, one of the teats produced a tiny drop of milk!!  Could this be related to her cycle? She's not displaying any signs of a phantom or anything different to her usual behaviour.

Being new to breeding, I am still learning so any advice/information will be appreciated.
Thanks in advance
MV x

I don't know what the waxy stuff IS, but I see it all the time in my bitches (in fact I have seen it in dogs as well around their teats) -and in my queens as well, so I would say it is perfectly normal.

Yup.  Perfectly normal.  I remember asking my vet about it years ago.  Like you, I had been washing her regularly.  He told me to stop messing about with it, I'd make her sore.  (Slapped wrist.) 

Now I have quite a few spayed bitches, and it has never gone away.  You do get used to it.  (I always thought it was dirt.)

Its the collection of sebum that causes the brown waxy substance. Nothing unnatural about it, sebum is the waxy stuff that is released from skin and hair follicles to keep the dogs skin soft and supple. The reasons it collects round nipples is that the are often hairless and we can see the stuff, it has no hair shaft to spread out on so just collects. On the rest of the body where the hair is it is distributed along the hair shaft to lubricate and help keep the hair glossy  and in good condition. Every time you groom your dog you help to oil the hair and keep it in great condition and it is the sebum that moisturises the hair.
As the vet said leave it alone. I often think that new born pups will not like it but if you keep washing it away it makes the bitch sore (The last thing she needs when feeding pups) It also helps to keep nipples lubricated to stop them getting too sore with pups feeding.
I do find sometime when I am grooming that little bits are hanging off so I just gently remove the loose stuff.
Aileen

Thanks for that explanation Merlot, you learn something new every day here! :)

Great reply, thank you.  It doesn't matter how many years you've owned dogs, or how many you have, it is great to learn.

Going back to the original post -I have found it is perfectly possible to have a small amount of milk (as in a few drops) following a litter, even a year or TWO after. So I would not say it was related to coming into season.

I had a cat develop lots of milk several years after having been spayed, for no obvious reason at all -one teat only. At first I thought she must have a tumour, turned out it was all milk.

Thank you so much (everyone!) for taking the trouble to reply....I really appreciate it and the explanation re sebum makes perfect sense to me. I shall no longer worry about it now I know it's not dirt or flea poo LOL.

Strange yet at the same time making perfect sense, it's on the four teats the litter used most last year, she had four puppies and they used to fight over which teats they would latch onto at feeding time.  I used to try and encourage them to use the others as well in case it made Mum sore but they weren't having any of it LOLOL.  They all wanted the fattest boobs and that was that!!

Thanks again everyone

MV xx

Merlot is correct. My bitch has it too and I thought it was dirt and I couldn't seem to get rid of it permanently. I have a vet who is a friend and she explained it just like that :)

If you do want to remove the build up of sebum, cover the area with a layer of Vasaline,leave it an hour or so and then gently wipe off with a soft cloth. The Vasaline will have lifted it off.