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Dog's nose turns pink

Sent to Dog Experts June 13 2005 at 11:17 AM
   

We have a Border Collie/Fox Terrior male dog apx. 2 years of age. His beautiful black nose has turned pink with tiny black spots. Also, the skin around the eyes is also turning pink. Do you have any idea why - his vet had no idea. Thank you. Estella

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June 13 2005 at 11:20 AM (3 minutes and 3 seconds later)
         
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Noses can peel and flake much like our skin does, especially if they have been exposed to sun, rain, wind, or trauma. Under neath the normally black nose is pink skin. If some of the black comes of for any reason, you will see the pink.

If this happens a lot, you will want to see your vet to rule out a thyroid condition that might be the cause.

While the skin is pink, be sure to use sunblock on the nose when the dog goes outside. You can also use "bag balm" to lubricate the nose and keep it soft and prevent this in the future. You can get it at walmart.

Let me know if you have more questions.

Tammy F. -- Dog Care Expert -- 99% Positive Feedback on 2271 Dog Accepts
15+ years -Dog care, Veterinary shelter medicine and infectious disease, Behavior assessment, Rescue
Reply
June 13 2005 at 12:46 PM (1 hour and 25 minutes and 45 seconds later)
         
Reply to Tammy Falkner's Post: Hi. "Scrappy's" nose does not seem to be flaking or peeling, it seems more like the pigmentation is changing. This is also happening around his eyes. He does occasionally scratch himself around the nose/eye area. The nose took about a month to just fade out to pink. He seems a bit quiet, but he has always been pretty mellow - his appitite and coat are good and he seems in great health otherwise. ??? Estella
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June 13 2005 at 1:01 PM (15 minutes and 6 seconds later)
         
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This can also be a symptom of an allergic dermatitis if the dog is fed or drinks out of plastic bowls. Swapping to stainless or ceramic bowls can resolve it.
But as the area around the eyes is also getting pink this might be a sign of an autoimmune disease too.
You can read about those here
http://www.canismajor.com/dog/autoimmn.html#Skin
If you suspect it might be such a disease a consult with a canine dermatologist (your vet should be able to refer you to one) to see if its something you can treat and resolve.
Hope this helps you!


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