There are many thoughts on Snow or Winter Nose.
In climates were winter and the lack of sun causes dogs nose to turn lighter could be a plausible cause. There are several conditions that lead to depigmentation of the nasal planum (the specialized skin around the nostrils that is usually black).
I have heard that some handlers have tried using artificial sunlight type lamps (Chroma D50 or Growlights) to see if it would help, Unfortunately, this may be a condition
that is more related to thermal changes, that to sunlight, so there is also a good chance that wide spectrum lighting wouldn't help.
Some veterinarians think that administration of Vitamin E may be helpful but has to be done continuously (400 U per day should be sufficient). There are no scientific studies that support this notion, but it seems reasonably safe to try Vitamin E. And I have successfully used Natural Vit E to rub on areas that are irritated or cracked and dry.
According to articles on this, some dogs have permanent depigmentation that occurs spontaneously and does not appear to be related to any underlying disease process. Dogs with this condition are sometimes referred to as having "Dudley noses". The nasal surface looks absolutely normal, other than being tan, pink or some other lighter color than it should be. Although there lots of suggestions for treatment of this condition, it appears this condition is not harmful to the dog.
Contact allergies can cause depigmentation of the nose. The most common contact allergy is to plastics. Dogs with contact allergies usually have some evidence of skin irritation as well as depigmentation (often along the lip margin) but it may be very subtle. It is worthwhile to try stainless steel or ceramic food and water bowls to see if changing types of bowls will help, if a dog with this problem usually eats or drinks out of a plastic bowl. Dark plastic seems to cause the most problems if it is contact allergy. Intersting enough - the most toxic fumes seem to come from black or darker colored plastics.
Another possibility is Vitiligo which occurs in some dog breeds. This is depigmentation of patches of skin, leading to patches of white hair in haired areas and to pale skin in other areas. There are no consistently successful treatments reported for this condition, either. Dogs diagnosed with this problem should have sun-block applied to exposed non pigmented areas of the skin when they are out in the sun. This is not life threatening to your dog, but is generally thought to be a thyroid problem.
I read the folllowing on a Vet website and thought I would pass this information along also Phemphigus foliaceus is an immune mediated disorder that German shepherds seem prone to.
It usually causes inflamed skin or small lesions, along with depigmentation. It can also manifest itself as crusts on the nose and other places on the head where normal skin meets specialized skin, like eyelid margins, ears and lips, interdigital spaces are commonly affected when this condition is present. It may spread to normal skin later in the disease.
Hypothyroidism is reported to cause depigmentation, a reason that kelp
is reported to be helpful in a small number of dogs with nasal depigmentation. Kelp is high in iodine and may help with subtle hypothyroid conditions. It is extremely easy to misdiagnose hypothyroidism, this is the reason that testing by a knowledgeable vet is necessary to see what the underlying problem could be.
Discoid Lupus causes similar lesions to phemphigus except that it often affects normal skin early in the disease. If there is nasal depigmentation with this disease it is likely that there will be ulceration of the nose. Sunlight makes discoid lupus lesions much worse and dogs with this may have terrible problems
in the summer and very little problem in the winter
Skin Cancers can cause depigmentation of the nose.
The best diagnostic test is a biopsy of the nasal planum (the part that contains the nostrils and is usually black). It is best to submit the tissues to a pathologist with an interest in skin (a dermatophathologis), if possible.
Your vet can help determine if there is any need for additional testing.
Sandra
