Question for the Vet/animal people

Does anyone know what the white spots on my puppy's snout are?

Are they little bumps?

I've had pets get something similar from plastic food bowls, does his snout hit the food bowl in about that spot?
Erica

Cindy - they are not raised, just flat.

Erica - I don't know....I'll have to watch her eat. She does have a plastic bowl. What would cause that? She does need a bigger bowl. I'll have to buy one.

It appears to be little raised, scaly nodules that are not reddened- is this correct? Is this the only area you are seeing this? No other circular areas of alopecia? About how old is she? You can PM me if you need to...

DId you recently get this puppy? What is its history? These look somewhat like scars from a dog that got in a fight with a porcupine, and had to have the needles pulled out of its nose.

Sandi if it is something new and it is not going away a trip to the vet is in order!

Miss Bailey is 10 months old. She is AKC. The white spots have been there for about 2 months. She does "play" with my other dog and sometimes teeth are involved, but it's usually the puppy nipping my other 5 year old lab. They don't fight, but they do rough house until I yell "girls" and then they stop.

The spots are not raised, nor are they red. Just white spots.

We are going to take her to the vet soon. I want to discuss breeding her or having her fixed. Major decision.

She's freaking adorable by the way. If no other spots/ similar areas other than her nose I'd be less concerned. Ideally, yes see your vet- he/she can do a lot more diagnosing/fixing the problem than we can from a pic as much as I really want to. My 2 cents that you definitely didn't ask for is that breeding is a HUGE pain in the behind and spaying prior to 1st (or probably in her case) 2nd heat cycle vastly decreases her risk of mammary adenocarcinoma.

Did I mention she is adorable?

I know breeding is a HUGE undertaking which is why I can't make the decision. I wanted to breed Labradoodles....I think they are adorable. But I also realize that I'm not qualified so I'd have to really research and be on top of things. First and foremost, I don't want to place Miss Bailey in any danger. She is a very tiny little girl. She was the runt and isn't going to grow much more. We had our other lab spayed at 4 months and I know this is dragging on much too long.

Thanks, we think she's adorable too.

I was moving the hair around on her nose last night and if I push it one way, the white spots go away. It's like what happens when you push velvet in two different directions....it changes color. I don't know...it's weird.

You mean breed as in more than one litter?

When I was a kid my folks let my dog have have one litter and then she was spayed.

But I have to agree with JJB - to have a puppy, or kitten, spayed before their 1st cycle decreases the chance of mammary cancer, not to mention unwanted dogs or cats.

Not that I am an expert, but I did read that it could be from sunburn, wind burn, dry skin or a form of Lupus that causes depigmentation of the nose. Hope is is one of the first few or something else that is not serious.

No, just one litter.

I was worried about Lupus but I think that affects the nose itself. My son's girlfriend's dog had Lupus and she didn't live very long, poor thing. We're calling the vet this week.

Lupus, that would be weird, I didn't know dogs could get it. One time my vet told me one of my dogs had low platelets! I surprised her by asking what the dog's count was and what the normal count was for a dog and she didn't even know! Turns out a lab report flagged her platelets as low - she was prepared to treat my dog with no further information. I had them do a recount and it was totally normal. You've got to be just as careful in the vet's office as in the hema's office.
Erica

Couldn't agree with you more Eklein- always be an advocate for yourself (or furry little ones).

Yes dogs can get Lupus- actually more than one kind

No, that does NOT look like Lupus (just for the record)

Sandi, did you find out what those white spots are yet?

Found out today. Well, we didn't find out much. The vet said that there is no damage to the skin underneath, so she is probably just burrowing outside. My husband took her and didn't question it, so that was all we got. She never comes in with dirt on her nose, so I'm not sure if I buy that.

I like Erica's theory. I'm going to buy a bigger bowl and see if that makes it go away. The spots are on the underside of her snout too.

She is 47 pounds...such a tiny thing for a 10 month old lab. Her brother was almost 30 pounds heavier than Bailey two months ago.

Hi Sandi,

Here's a very similar question that I found online, answered by a vet. Vitiligo is what it looks like to me, and apparently it can be diagnosed by a noninvasive biopsy:


 White Spots on Chocolate Lab
www.justanswer.com/dog-health/2jz8j-chocolate-lab-white-spots-around.html

I have a chocolate lab that has had white spots around her mouth, lips and nose for about a year. She is about 2 1/2 years old. They didn't seem to change and the vet said they might be vitilago? 
Now she has a few white pea size spots on her cheek that seem to be getting worse 
Should I be concerned? 
She doesn't seem to be sick in any way 
Carla 

Type of Animal: chocolate lab
Gender: Female
Age: 2.5

Posted by Dr. Keri
Expert's Answer
Hi Carla,
 
This is a common question from clients....and honestly, I don't think we always have the best answer to offer, because we don't yet fully understand the reasons for de-pigmentation of the nasal planum.
 
The fact that your dog has haired areas affected as well, makes vitiligo more likely....but the only way to know that for sure is with a small non-invasive biopsy.
 
There are other potential causes of depigmentation, such as contact irritants (plastic is a common one....so make sure her bowls are ceramic or stainless steel) , autoimmune diseases (like pemphigus or lupus) , possibly hypothyroidism (the verdict is still out on that one), or an unknown cause...like snow nose in Labradors and other breeds.
 
If this were biopsied and found to be vitiligo, you really would not have to worry about her. The worst thing that should ever transpire from that condition is a sunburn.
 
You may want the biopsy done just for the peace of mind to know what you are dealing with.
 
Hope this helps....I think vitiligo is very likely based on your description, and would have a favorable prognosis if this were the case
  
Customer Reply
I am wondering about the hypothyroidism..she seems to gain weight fast and some days sleeps a lot...but I attributed that to being a lab...seems everyone I know who has one says the same thing - they like to sleep and eat
Would she have any other symptoms I could watch for if it were an autoimmune disease? Would she be sick in any way?
I do use the stainless steel bowls
 
Accepted Answer
She is fairly young for hypothyroidism...not that it couldn't be possible.....but we hardly ever see this condition in a dog her age.
 
Most autoimmune diseases that affect the skin, also create irritation or ulceration. They can also cause inflammation of joints creating shifting leg lameness. This too sounds pretty unlikely....but again, a biopsy is the only way to know for sure. Autoimmune skin diseases tend to like mucocutaneous junctions....so around the eyes, nose, lips, vulva and in the ears.
 
Wish I could tell you which of these it could be...there are just so many possibilities. But if she is symptom free, I wouldn't worry too much about her. And if you just have to know....the answer is usually just a biopsy away
 
Good luck!

Expert: Dr. Keri
Category: Dog Veterinary
9 years of experience as a companion animal veterinarian with emphasis on nutrition and senior care.
  
 
April

One homeopathic remedy that you could use that addresses both white spots on the skin, as well as taking into account her tiny growth, you might give her the #12 cell salt Silica 6X- 2-4 pills, 2-4 times/day.

Silica is also one of the top three remedies to help remove the lingering side effects of vaccines. Unfortunately, our pets are even more heavily vaccinated than our children. And the weaknesses become more apparent with each successive generation.

You say she was the runt of the litter and always had a failure to thrive like her brother? Silica and the cell salt, #2 Calc Phos 6X are excellent remedies to give in these cases. I've prescribed them for many preemies (human), and you'd be amazed how these babies just plump right up!

We rescued a little girl Jack Russell/Chihuahua/Whippet mix, from a homeless teen who couldn't care for her properly. She was 3 years old and weighed only 9 lbs! I began giving her Silica and she started gaining weight. Now, 7 months later she is 18 lbs, dpunks her weight. And, not at all obese, but just the perfect weight for her frame.
April

Thanks, April. I am going to get rid of the plastic bowl. That seems to keep coming up. I'll try that first.

I wouldn't say she isn't thriving, she's just tiny. She is quite active and seems very healthy. She has the most well developed muscles I've ever seen on a dog. Very solid little thing.

I only get the vaccines for my dogs that are necessary. I had to break down and get the kennel cough for Bailey because she is going to be boarded today. Otherwise, I skip that one.

Sounds like your pup is going to be fine after the vet visit. She is very cute, and that face she's making in your photo is adorable!

My 2 year old cat Rocky was diagnosed with low platelet count and anemia - they weren't sure on the "why" but hypothesized it could be a life threatening thing called FIP. They gave us two options: start him on prednisone and see if it works (and if it does, then it's cat ITP), or do a battery of tests to see if it is the FIP. We opted for the prednisone, and - thankfully - it worked!

We weaned him off the prednisone over the course of the next 6 months, and I found myself feeling quite jealous of his platelet cure and clean bill of health! He is still fine now - sleeping and snoring behind me, in fact.

Good for your cat! It's so hard to deal with a pet with health problems - been there! We had a dog with Cushings that was very hard to manage (and expensive).