Pink Spots On Nose--discoid Lupus?

[Guest boondog]

Last night I noticed Crystal had a smooth pink spot on her nose by her nostril. On further inspection, I saw another, slightly larger pink spot closer to her mouth. I remember reading on GT about dogs with discoid lupus, so I read some of the previous posts. She is going to see my vet on Wednesday and I would like to know if there is anything I should discuss with her. I know some people do a biopsy, but others do the "treat and wait" approach. Is there anything else this could be? She acts completely fine. BTW, all the food and water bowls in the house are stainless steel, so it can't be from plastic bowls. Thanks in advance!

 

 

ETA: Crystal is 5 years old with no other known health issues.

Edited July 28, 2008 by boondog

[Chicocat]

It's sure worth having checking. Your vet should be able to tell easily.

 

Sometimes a simple bump or scrape will cause loss of the black pigment of the nose. Most times it returns to normal, but in some cases the injury will cause permanent loss of the black pigment.

 

There was a little girl up for adoption in Kansas recently. When I saw her nose I would have almost "bet the farm" it was lupus. She was taken to a local vet to be checked and it was found to be just from some kind of injury. She had swelling in one of her eyes too - The vet said he thought both were recent injuries and that it might have happened during transport to the training farm. In her case both of the resulting conditions were permanent.

Edited July 28, 2008 by Chicocat

[greyhoundlov]

What kind of bowl do you use for water and food? Sometimes plastic or ceramic bowls cause discoloration on their noses.

[Guest boondog]

What kind of bowl do you use for water and food? Sometimes plastic or ceramic bowls cause discoloration on their noses.

 

Nothing but stainless steel.

[Guest whatahound]

Nikki has a few spots on her nose that do not have pigment. She has always used stainless steel bowls. Could it be something more serious? I've attached a picture.

 

For the poster, does your hound's nose look like Nikki's?

 

[Guest boondog]

Nikki has a few spots on her nose that do not have pigment. She has always used stainless steel bowls. Could it be something more serious? I've attached a picture.

 

For the poster, does your hound's nose look like Nikki's?

 

 

Yeah, that's pretty much what it looks like (cute pic, BTW). I'm just concerned because it wasn't there before. My other girl, Dillon, has a little pink spot on her nose that's been there ever since we got her and it's never changed.

 

[Guest whatahound]

Yeah, that's pretty much what it looks like (cute pic, BTW). I'm just concerned because it wasn't there before. My other girl, Dillon, has a little pink spot on her nose that's been there ever since we got her and it's never changed.

 

Nikki has only gotten those spots in the last few years. What are the other symptoms of Lupus.?

[Guest SoulsMom]

With Discoid Lupus it is not just discoloration, but also loss of the "cobblestone" look to the nose. DL pups have a smooth nose. In fact, with Soul, his nose is more smooth than it is discolored. When he has a flare up, his two pink spots sometimes bleed and the rest of his nose gets "crusty". DL can also affect the eyes, causing bumps an loss of hair during a flare up.

 

I opted not to do a punch biopsy. Very painful, and takes a long time to heal. And it is quite obvious that Soul has DL. He's now on a grain free food and supplements. His time outdoors is limited during peak sun hours, and he always wears his sunscreen. And he hasn't had a flare up since May

 

If Crystal still has the cobblestone look to her nose I wouldn't worry too much about DL.

[Guest boondog]

With Discoid Lupus it is not just discoloration, but also loss of the "cobblestone" look to the nose. DL pups have a smooth nose. In fact, with Soul, his nose is more smooth than it is discolored. When he has a flare up, his two pink spots sometimes bleed and the rest of his nose gets "crusty". DL can also affect the eyes, causing bumps an loss of hair during a flare up.

 

I opted not to do a punch biopsy. Very painful, and takes a long time to heal. And it is quite obvious that Soul has DL. He's now on a grain free food and supplements. His time outdoors is limited during peak sun hours, and he always wears his sunscreen. And he hasn't had a flare up since May

 

If Crystal still has the cobblestone look to her nose I wouldn't worry too much about DL.

 

 

The rest of her nose looks okay, but the pink spots are smooth. Does the black part lose the cobblestone with DL, too?

[Guest SoulsMom]

With Discoid Lupus it is not just discoloration, but also loss of the "cobblestone" look to the nose. DL pups have a smooth nose. In fact, with Soul, his nose is more smooth than it is discolored. When he has a flare up, his two pink spots sometimes bleed and the rest of his nose gets "crusty". DL can also affect the eyes, causing bumps an loss of hair during a flare up.

 

I opted not to do a punch biopsy. Very painful, and takes a long time to heal. And it is quite obvious that Soul has DL. He's now on a grain free food and supplements. His time outdoors is limited during peak sun hours, and he always wears his sunscreen. And he hasn't had a flare up since May

 

If Crystal still has the cobblestone look to her nose I wouldn't worry too much about DL.

 

 

The rest of her nose looks okay, but the pink spots are smooth. Does the black part lose the cobblestone with DL, too?

 

As far as I know, yes. The nose is completely smooth . . . . .of course every case could be different. Maybe some other Lupus babies will chime in . . .

 

[packmom]

Hope they are scars!!!!

[Guest MAXNAV]

My collie came to us with 2 pinkish spots on his black nose. The vet looked at it and thought it might be an old injury and told us to watch for any changes. The spots never changed, so I guess he was right.

[Guest SoulsMom]

I also wanted to add that I once had a Pom who lost the color on his nose for no reason that could be found. His nose turned almost completly pink. And my mixed breed, Archie, will sometimes get a pink spot or two and then it will go back to black

[dbullwinkel]

My Ig Flex has DL..took a while to get the right diagnosis; although I thought it was from the beginning. He started with crusty gunk on both sides of his nostrils that I thought was due to dryness in the house from the fireplace. there were a couple pink spots as well. His nose will bleed when he bangs it (he never sits still!). I use protopic cream on his nose and he is on doxy. we use sunscreen and I limit sun time as well. (he LOVES the sun). He has started loosing some pigment on his belly as well. He gets vitamin E in his food, salmon oil as well. Overall he is doing very well I am happy to say!

 

Sounds like a good idea to have him checked out. Let us know how it goes!

 

donna

[Guest boondog]

Thanks, everybody. I kind of feel like I'm overreacting, but I'd rather err on the side of caution. If it is something like DL, I'd like to catch it early.