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  #1  
Old August 9th, 2010, 02:02 PM
mojo2010 mojo2010 is offline
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Dog's nose is crusty, pitted, watery & pink.

I have an 8 y/o Beagle mix. Last Friday I noticed that his right nostril had a small crater and looked pitted. There is also a clear, watery discharge coming from his right nostril. From the nose to the top of his lip is also appears pink, (it's usually black) and raw. This is only on the right side of his nose. The left side is fine. It does itch him but he's taking Benadryl so that helps. He also licks it a lot. Otherwise he is perfectly fine. No change in eating, bathroom habits, nothing. The discharge is just clear liquid - no blood or mucous.

I immediately took him to the vet. The vet does not believe it's a fungal infection. She thinks it's skin cancer which is terrifying me. Then again it could also be a bacterial infection or some auto immune disease. He's been on Clavamox for 2.5 days and it does not seem to be helping. I don’t know how long antibiotics take to work.

I have attached some pictures. Please let me know what you think. All replies are appreciated.
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Old August 9th, 2010, 08:35 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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Oh, OUCH! I've never seen anything like that, mojo. Did the vet take a biopsy?

I have no advice for you, but I do hope you get some answers soon! When do you go back to the vet?
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Old August 9th, 2010, 09:56 PM
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almost looks like a chemical burn, never seen it before either.
Did it appear one day or come in progressively? Time duration from when you noticed till the condition the sore is now?
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Old August 9th, 2010, 10:31 PM
mojo2010 mojo2010 is offline
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Cell and Hazelrunpack:

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I noticed the soreness and craters (which were not as bad as the pictures) last Thursday. I took those pictures today. The craters on his nose have progressed to their current state w/i a matter of four days. They also just "appeared" one day.

I took him to the vet last Friday and she told me she thinks he has skin cancer which I really disagreed with considering the sudden onset. She also explained to me how they would have to cut his nose off to get rid of the cancer. I FREAKED OUT.

We were terrified, so my husband and I took him to a dermatologist today. The dermatologist does NOT think it's cancer. At this point she thinks it could be an allergic reaction w/ secondary infection, discoid lupus erythematosus, pemphigus foliaceous or erythematosus which are autoimmune skin disorders. She took a biopsy and did blood work and will get back to me with the results. She also said the sores are spreading to his lips. Poor guy!

She told me to continue with the Clavamox b/c he has a secondary infection and I need to buy Protopic which is an ointment and apparently very expensive for the sores and craters.

I will keep you updated on his progress.

Last edited by mojo2010; August 9th, 2010 at 10:36 PM. Reason: fix dx
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Old August 10th, 2010, 12:34 AM
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I'm going through something similar with Noah. His comes and goes, appearing in the warmer months and disappearing in the winter. It started out with just some loss of pigment right above his nose, which, a few months later cleared up and looked normal again. The next time there was a larger area affected (still not the nose itself but up the bridge of the nose, around the eyes and mouth and even the ear tips), some oozing and scabs and as it became irritated he would rub along the fence and make it bleed around the eyes. Last year when he got it I assumed it was allergy related because he also got terrible hot spots and they just appeared in a matter of days. I groomed him out one day (just brushing, no bathing, not shampoo allergy related or anything like that) and they weren't there at all and a couple of days later the hot spots started. His face was a mess scabs on his face leading to bald pink spots, he had almost no hair around his eyes and at the same time he had big oozing hot spots on the back of his back legs, the inner thigh and under his belly...seemed like maybe it was an environmental allergy since it all blew up at the same time and always happens in the warmer months. This year when it started again he got quite scabby around the eyes and the vet did a skin scraping to check for mange mites, bacteria and yeast and he was negative for all. She gave me an ointment to help reduce the inflammation around the eyes but without even needing to use much of that he just started clearing up. It was at the end of April the vet saw him and until recently it's been good. Now it's back, and just in the last few days it's getting really bad, now his nose itself is also loosing pigment and getting all sore looking. The vet said before it could be nasal solar dermatitis or an autoimmune disease. If it gets too bad it can lead to cancer. She said that if it got worse to bring him in and she'd do a biopsy and we'll go from there as to how to deal with it. Treatment can include prednisone which I'm hesitant to put him on but I may have no choice since it's getting so bad. These pictures are from today, a couple of days ago he was nowhere near this bad. Btw, it looks terrible but he is feeling great otherwise...eating and drinking well, full of energy and playfulness...100% his usual self. It's great to see him as active as he is at almost 9 years of age, my neighbour has a couple of collies a few months younger than him but they act like they're old dogs. Obviously now that Noah's gotten this bad he needs to go back to the vet and see what we can do next for him.
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Last edited by Gail P; August 10th, 2010 at 12:46 AM.
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Old August 10th, 2010, 01:11 AM
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You can see how Noah's problem has progressed if you go check out the pics I posted before in this message about the collie breed. http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71010
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  #7  
Old August 10th, 2010, 02:01 AM
mojo2010 mojo2010 is offline
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Hi Gail:

Noah is such a beautiful boy! From my research this past weekend and what the dermatoligist told me today it seems like Noah has "discoid lupus" (an autoimmune disease) and affects Collie's in particular. I found this on the internet:

"Discoid lupus is an immune mediated skin disease that is probably related to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but instead of affecting the whole body as SLE does, it primarily affects the nose and face. As far as I know, there is no known cause of this problem but it does seem more frequent in dogs of the German Shepherd, Collie, Brittany spaniel. Shetland Sheepdog, Siberian Husky and German Shorthaired Pointer breeds."

If you google "discoid lupus" you see some pictures of dogs with very similiar scabing along the nose. It's actually also known as "Collie nose."

"Collie nose problems may result from either one of two causes. Firstly, Discoid Lupus Erythematosus, an autoimmune disease which can eventually lead to squamous cell carcinoma if untreated or secondly a lack of pigment at birth that can then lead to a gradual removal of the nose pad resulting eventually in ulcers which can also lead to squamous cell carcinoma."

At this point I'm not sure if that is what Mojo has. His is not that extensive but it could also be the beginning stages.

I'll keep you posted on his dx and treatment plan.
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Old August 10th, 2010, 09:41 AM
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My vet and I have discussed the various possibilities, and I've done a lot of online searching and reading. I think the only way we'll know for sure it to go ahead and do a biopsy and then decide on further treatment. Noah wasn't born without pigment on his face or nose, his problem has only started in the last couple of years but it seems to be getting worse each time it comes back.

I would be interested in hearing how things turn out for Mojo. Good luck!
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Old August 10th, 2010, 09:44 AM
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Sending along more for Mojo!!
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Old August 10th, 2010, 10:07 AM
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ouch! definitely looks similar to the same issue though! The OP might have a answer!
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Old August 11th, 2010, 09:05 PM
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Has it been suggested that you keep these dogs out of the sun? That is what would happen here, the dogs would be exercised at dawn and dusk in Summer, then kept in a shady, covered yard or preferably inside during the day.
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Old August 12th, 2010, 09:35 PM
mojo2010 mojo2010 is offline
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Goldfields: although we live in Las Vegas Mojo does not spend much time in the hot sun. I try and walk him early morning and evening. Otherwise he is inside. I did read something on line about a certain skin disease being made worse by the sun. It is interesting that this popped up since our move to Vegas.

Mojo's blood work came back fine. I'm just waiting for the results on his biopsy. His nose is looking a little better. I think the antibiotics are helping.

Last edited by mojo2010; August 12th, 2010 at 09:35 PM. Reason: spelling
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Old August 12th, 2010, 10:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Goldfields View Post
Has it been suggested that you keep these dogs out of the sun? That is what would happen here, the dogs would be exercised at dawn and dusk in Summer, then kept in a shady, covered yard or preferably inside during the day.
Yes, it has been suggested to keep Noah out of the sun and use sunscreen. He's not out in the sun very much, I take the dogs out twice/day to run around the fields and although the morning run isn't usually as early as dawn (except when the heat is extreme), it is always dusk for the second run. When he's out in the backyard he always chooses to lay in the shade or inside a shelter that is built on the back deck. But in the hot weather he spends most of the day indoors anyhow in the a/c. The interesting thing is that he spends hours outside in the sun in the winter and never has a problem then. I have heard conflicting opinions on whether the sun is more intense (and more damaging) in the summer or winter, but it doesn't seem to bother him at all in the winter. But, I still wonder about the possibility of environmental allergies contributing to the problem....allergens that would not be present in the wintertime when it's cold and snowy.

Noah's nose and face is starting to look better than a few days ago. Scabs have mostly gone and the skin is healthy underneath, no oozing or sores where the scabs were. The raw spots on his nose are much better too. It seems to come on quickly, get looking really bad and then a few days later starts healing. It does take a longer time for the missing hair to regrow though.
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Old August 12th, 2010, 11:43 PM
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Goldfields Goldfields is offline
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Originally Posted by Gail P View Post
But, I still wonder about the possibility of environmental allergies contributing to the problem....allergens that would not be present in the wintertime when it's cold and snowy.
The summer sun here, Gail, has a hell of a kick to it! The warnings for our own safety are only ever heard in Summer too, so I'd say that's when it is most dangerous. If you kept him in and only did the dawn, dusk thing for a while but he still got it, you'd think it must be allergens.

Mojo2010, where were you before the shift to Las Vegas? Was the environment and climate much different?
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Old August 17th, 2010, 04:06 PM
mojo2010 mojo2010 is offline
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We were living in NY before moving to Vegas so I would say the climate was VERY different!

I wanted to update everyone on Mojo. His biopsy came back and the dermatologist said that it looks like he was bit my a black widow spider or a scorpion and had a severe allergic reaction with a secondary infection. He is doing much better. His nose is healing. The antibiotics really helped and now I also put Protopic ointment on his nose which is actually for humans. I am relieved that he does not have cancer or anything more serious. I need to bring him back to the vet in 10 days for a recheck.

Thank you again for all your responses and concern!
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Old August 17th, 2010, 04:14 PM
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hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
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omd, bad as that is, what a relief!!! Owie!!! Glad he's healing up now. Speedy recovery to Mojo!
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Old August 17th, 2010, 07:32 PM
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Poor Mojo .....that must have been so sore for him.

Glad he is on the mend and hope he has a speedy recovery without complications. Keep us updated.
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Old May 9th, 2011, 05:54 PM
ct1271 ct1271 is offline
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mojo

My dog is suffering from the same kind of thing the vet gave her antibiotics and it healed up for a couple weeks and now its back again. So my question How is your dog I believe its Mojo? did it come back ? how much was a biopsy? Just want her shiny black nose back poor girl.
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