Black Noses Turning Pink

[lilypily]

Has anyone else had this happen? 3 out of my 4 last dogs have had black noses, but the pigment must fade and they turn pink.

I'v been advised to give them human iron tablets and that will turn their noses back to black???????????????

They have always been on premium, well balanced diets, so I havn't thought inadequate nutrition to be a problem.

Just after others thoughts and experiences before I think of putting them on an iron supplememnt.

Ta

[Anna H]

I've heard of something called 'winter nose' - though to be honest, don't know a thing about it.

Can't be much help on this one, sorry! Hope someone more useful posts soon for you.

[Norskgra]

One of my bitches had the same problem. I was told by the Vet that it was a fatty acid deficiency.

I now give all my dogs Omega 3, 6 & 9 oil and don't have any problems.

[goldielover]

Some breeds do get "winter nose" which is just temporary. Once it starts to get warmer their nose will be black again. Some dogs also just lose pigment - my girl has it as well. They say that kelp added to the diet can help, but didn't work for me LOL

[Ezza]

Loki has a "snow nose", a pink strip down the centre of his nose. It's very cute, and goes away in summer. Taya has one too, but only a slight change in colour. Loki's will go quite pink depending on how cold it gets.

[ellz]

Could be a winter nose.

However if you are feeding from a plastic bowl, you could try changing to a different type of bowl.

You might try supplementing with Ironcyclen or Livamol too.

[White Shepherd mom]

Casper's nose used to be black but then turned brown and has been for a couple of years now. Recently he developed a black freckle in the middle of his nose! He used to eat out of a plastic bowl as a puppy and their water was in a plastic bucket. We don't use plastic now so it will be interesting to see if he goes back to black!

[Erny]

However if you are feeding from a plastic bowl, you could try changing to a different type of bowl.

Hi Ellz ... now, I still have this head cold thing (worse than ever!), so perhaps I'm not catching on as well as I might, but what does the plastic in the plastic bowls do to influence the colour of the nose? My dog's food and water are not in plastic bowls (and her nose is black!) - I'm just curious.

[ellz]

I don't know the scientific basis of it. I've not had the problem myself. It was just something I was told many years ago by a person who had white standard poodles and nose issues. It works.

There was another thread about this not too long ago and as I recall somebody else agreed with me (MersonMalinois perhaps????). Will bump it if I can find it.

[espinay2]

Ah , now I see why the other thread was bumped! (duh )

The issue of total lack of pigmentation is a bit different to a winter/snow/dudley nose, but I agree, for a winter nose, dont use plastic bowls (complete lack of pigment I dont feel will be affected by this). I dont think anyone has come up with anything totally concrete to stop it, although some say feeding kelp helps or something like livamol.

[Erny]

Thank you, Ellz. Interesting. I have done a quick google search (have to go out to the Chemist) and haven't found anything about plastic bowls & loss of nose pigment in dogs, but did find something about plastic bowls & feline acne. Seems unrelated to our topic, but, for anyone else interested, one article says that they're not sure what it is about the plastic bowls that causes feline acne. One suggestion is that food particles collect in tiny scratches and grow the bacteria which cause feline acne. Another possibility is that it is a contact allergy.

When I've got time, I'll do another google search to see if I can find anything that might explain the effect of plastic bowls on the pigment of dogs' noses.

[lilypily]

Thanks,

It's not a "winter" thing, their noses have been 'pink' for over a year now, just the front of the nose, the top is still black.

It doesn't bother me at all, just hate to think if it's caused by a nutritional deficiency.

[ellz]

Lilypily, the name "winter nose" is a misnomer. Winter nose can actually occur at any time. Sometimes it is as simple as a lack of exposure to sunlight that causes it.

[ellz]

Here is some information about winter nose and pigmentation "issues" which I googled tonight....

Cut and paste from: http://www.malteseonly.com/faqamd/index.cg...swer=1062458517

The nose on my Maltese seems to be turning a light brown and sometimes almost pink. It used to be dark black like a chunk of coal. Is this something to be concerned about?

The pigment on a Maltese's nose could be turning pink due to lack of sunshine because of the winter weather. Depending on where you live, if the weather isn't too cold and is sunny, take him out on those days even if its for a car ride. It could also be the type of bowl that he's eating and drinking from. If it's plastic that could be the culprit as well. A female going through a heat can sometimes cause the black pigment in their nose to turn to pink also.

C&P from: http://www.voy.com/160428/18.html

There are 2 main reasons for the nose turning pinkish, one is what is called "winter nose" meaning that in the winter the nose will go pinkish then once spring and summer gets here it will go black again. The other reason is caused by feeding them in "plastic" bowls, some element in the plastic causes the nose to go pink. Try a ceramic or metal bowl to feed and water him in.

C&P from: http://www.vetinfo.com/ddepigmt.html

5) Contact dermatitis can cause loss of pigment in the nose -- some dogs are reported to be sensitive to the plastic that is found in some feeding bowls, for instance. Continual irritation of the nasal planum from a cause like this might lead to loss of pigment. Usually the lips are also are inflamed or may have pigment loss if they are dark, too.

C&P from: http://www.geocities.com/~kalahari/manual.html

Two large stainless steel, non-tip bowls. One is for puppy to eat out of and the other for his water bowl. Plastic is not a good idea for two reasons....Little Ridgebacks can total a plastic bowl in record time and some plastic bowls can cause "winter nose" - a loss of pigment on the nose.

[Jed]

Snow nose or winter nose are thought to be caused by weak sunlight or lack of iron or vitamins. Sometimes the pigment returns, sometimes not. It occurs most commonly in white coated dogs, and there is believed to be a hereditary predisposition

There is also a condition known as vitaligo, where there is a gradual loss of pigment on the nose. There is no known cure, but the dog may recover without assistance

The reason for not using plastic dishes is that there can be a hypersensitivy of the nasal skin to the chemicals used in the plastic. The skin becomes irritated.

Iron and seaweed supplements may help. I have found the amino acid methionine helpful. I bought it in powdered form. I think some seaweed supplements do contain it, but notice the one I am currently using doesn't. Livermol might be worth a go too.

[lilypily]

Thanks ellz and Jed

They do eat from plastic bowls, so i'll change them and see if there is any change.

Thanks again.