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Patch On Kelpie's Nose ...


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Hoover's had an odd white spot on his nose for a while - not raised or anything, just a different colour to the rest of his nose. Looks like this:

nose01.jpg

nose02.jpg

nose03.jpg

This morning it was a bit raw and there was a bit of blood on it. He seems fine but he's always been a very stoic doggy. Does anyone know if it's anything to be worried about? Our vet's closed today and I'm not sure if warrants a trip to the emergency vet or even a trip to the vet ... Thanks in advance.

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Maybe overkill but I'd be getting him checked by a Vet in case its a skin cancer. Unexpected changes in skin, especially with bleeding can sometimes indicate skin cancer. Hopefully it's just a scratch healing over.

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Hi weasels, thanks for thinking of us. We had a hard time finding a vet still open on Saturday. Finally we found a great vet. She did a thorough examination and swabbed Hoover's nose to test. He has bacteria and fungus on his nose - apparently common in dogs that like digging and sticking their nose into anything :p Definitely not skin cancer so we've got him on antibiotics for a bit. Big relief for me.

Edited by koalathebear
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Hi weasels, thanks for thinking of us. We had a hard time finding a vet still open on Saturday. Finally we found a great vet. She did a thorough examination and swabbed Hoover's nose to test. He has bacteria and fungus on his nose - apparently common in dogs that like digging and sticking their nose into anything :p Definitely not skin cancer so we've got him on antibiotics for a bit. Big relief for me.

You know, I suspect your vet gave you antibiotics for the same reason GP's used to give us antibiotics - to look as though they were doing something and somehow responding to your concerns, ie NOT because there was any real need for them nor because the dog's health was at risk.

Don't get me wrong - I'm sure I'm as over-reactive as you when it comes to my dog's health. And no one can criticise someone who loves their dog so much. But let's face it - all dogs noses would be covered in bacteria. Sniffing is what they do best! You need to consider if unnecessary use of antibiotics will in the long term cause more harm than good in the canine population, as has happened with humans. And if it is a fungal infection, antibiotics aren't going to cure it.

Edited by Mum to Emma
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Thanks for your input but I don't consider myself particularly over-reactive - my dogs pretty much only go to the vet for vaccinations and that's it.

It seems a little unfair to imply that the vet (who was excellent and very helpful) was unscrupulous enough to prescribe medication when it was not needed. She said that she didn't want to give us both the ABs and the anti-fungals this time because then it wouldn't be possible to see which one it was that was actually clearing up the skin problem but that if the ABs weren't working, we would switch. She showed us both meds, but only suggested we buy one at this stage. If it was just depigmentation I wouldn't be so fussed, but the skin was also bleeding and it was different from the normal injuries from getting scratched etc. My main concern was skin cancer given that as a red and tan Kelpie, Hoover's nose is relatively pale so I'm relieved that it's not that.

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If you have siggies turned on here, see the choc Lab in mine? Her nose used to be brown. Trauma or sun damage to her nose made it scab (before she came to live with me so I don't know the exact cause). I had a piece removed by the vet for testing (nope not cancer, yay!) and it left a pink mark, much like on your dogs nose. That small pink patch grew to what you now see in my signature pic. Now very prone to sun damage and a difficult place to get the dog to keep sunscreen on! Her nose also has a bit of a stench at times and the vet says it could be fungal, but twice now I've seen about it and they haven't given me any medication for it. Really not sure what to do about it :( It gets pinker and pinker, especially if she's been outside. I know she'll never get the pigment back in it but I just wish there was something I could do for it! It's a very sensitive area for her and if she knocks or scrapes it, it bleeds.

Sorry to sort of hijack but I just felt like I related to your post somehow and wanted to share :)

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The sun thing. It was done under general anasthetic and required some post treatment care but the said cat lived happily till 18yo. I would never do it without consult with a vet - that was his recommendation.

Edit: Aki was a (beautiful) garden variety cat from a pet shop in WA (I know better now!). She was my heart-cat.

Edited by HonBun
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Not sure if I could do it :o But thanks for the suggestion, something to think about.

Just went to find a better photo of her nose and I am gobmacked at how her nose used to be compared to now!

Only a couple of days after coming to me (note the scabbiness):

P1020824_.jpg

This just over 3 years ago, around same time as photo above:

P1030197.jpg

Getting lighter:

P1030184.jpg

To now (it's even extended down to her lips):

Obedience-9Dec2011.jpg?t=1323445876

Sorry again for thread hijack.

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