my Collie has scraped all the black off her nose and we had...

<< Back to: rec.pets.dogs: Collies Breed-FAQ

Answer by starbunny1
Submitted on 3/15/2006
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
Hi! My chow/akita mix (named Ronin) has the same thing- he was a stray and he's had it since we found him, and we've had him for over a year. (I really wish I knew HOW or WHEN he got it.) The vet said to try fish oil, and we saw minimal improvement. Then they said Vitamin E and it's been five months on that with still no help. (He was also on Cephalexin for a different problem, and it still did not clear up.) I don't believe it has to do with sun exposure; ever since it's been cold he's been outside only to potty so I would think it would get a LITTLE better in the winter. Within the last two weeks, we have noticed four spots of the same scabby substance around his right eye. So back to the vet, and I AM requesting a biopsy. We will see how it goes. If you have any info, PLEASE let me know. And I'll get back to you all once I've talked to the vet again.

Answer by fly71
Submitted on 6/20/2006
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
We own a purebred Belgium sheepdog (groendal meaning they are all black)- he was diagnosed with discoid lupus about a year and a half ago at age 1 and a half. He has to take predisone, but we decrease it or increase it due to the sun level. He had lost all of the hair around his eyes before he was diagnosed - it all grew back white. But at least it all grew back - I call him the "tears of a clown". His nose was red - We now watch his nose constantly - put on topical, Diproplen and sunscreen - plus makeup. I am sure no Vet will tell you this, but if you have heavy black makeup on the nose, it helps to prevent sunburn and it helps to keep the topicals on. He also has Doggles for walks in the park. He gets Vitamin E daily plus Missing Link in his food. We live in Ca, and we have to monitor him constantly. He is a happy dog and right now, he has started to get lesions on his nose - June 06. So on goes the topical, the sunscreen and the makeup. I hate it when we have to increase his dose of the steroids - he gets very aggressive. More sunscreen, topicals and makeup as far as I am concerned.

Answer by Julie
Submitted on 9/24/2006
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
Hi Kerry, Jamie boy is my mummy�s boy and he has cost me a small fortune with his nose! At first it wasn�t so bad but suddenly became very ulcerated and was constantly weeping, then it went to his lower lips and the worse thing was when his eyelids started to ulcerate. Every time he blinked the scabs were scratching his eyes and it was making a real mess plus the fact they can get cancerous so quickly it is scary! At least you have an understanding vet! Mine basically said nothing you can do except keep him out of the sun as much as you can. Ha, ha! He loves to swim in the pool which also made it three times worse! On the advice of just about everyone I know I took him to Dr. Gary Eckersley in Beaulie, he is a specialist and is especially good at skin diseases and auto immune problems. He is also B***** expensive and knows how to charge for his pills!!! I also researched over the internet over how to get the price of the pills down and literally halved my vet�s bill once I found out what medication he had to be on. Ready for the list! He is on: 1000mg Nicotinamide a day. 500mg am and 500mg pm (It is a specific form of Vitamin B3) (500mg tablets) 800IU Vit E a day, 400IU am and 400IU pm N.B. Very important not to be given on a full stomach (400IU tablets) � cap Nitric acid 200CH twice a day am and pm 500mg Tetracycline a day 250mg am and 250mg pm. (250mg tablets) Medrol 16mg � a tablet every other day. (16mg tablets) He was originally charging me R1 a pill for the Nicotinamide and he only has 100mg pills! Apart from the fact it was costing R10 a day Jamie despises taking tablets even disguised in ham! Found a company http://www.solaltech.com that sells 500mg tablets for R90 for 90 tablets. Was paying R40 for delivery but now see the same company sells their stuff at the Pick and Pay pharmacy so get them from there now! Same story with the vitamin E, he was charging me over R150 for a pack of 30 Vitamin E tablets imported from USA, so now I just get the 400IU Bettaway ones for +-R65 for 90 pills! Can�t stress enough that the Vitamin E must be given on an empty stomach, if it isn�t it basically goes straight through them without them benefiting from it. The only stuff I get from him now is the stuff that I either can�t get without prescription or that is just as cheap by him! The Nitric acid is R45 a little pot but lasts about 2 months. The Medrol is R52 for 15 tablets which also lasts about 6 weeks as he only has one every other day and even that will probably be stretched to one every third day soon. It also has prednisolone in it but it is a very mild dose. He was on (excuse my spelling) Triamolosone which is also a very mild cortisone but for some reason is off the market at the moment. He started off on one a day but that very quickly came down to one every other day i.e. within two weeks. We are also looking at lowering this more now. The Tetracycline is R60 for 100 tablets, it is used in acne treatment and he is a little cheaper than anywhere else I have found it! Trouble is I have been going to him every 6 weeks and he charges R260 for a consultation. I am due to go back in about 2 weeks and have decided I will ask him to double up on the meds so I can save on the consultation! The difference in his mouth in 5 days was amazing, within 2 weeks it had completely healed and the pigment even came back. If you looked at his mouth now you can�t see anything was ever wrong. The same thing with his eyes, there is only a pin prick of pink pigment the rest is completely normal. His nose just amazes me. I will crop some photos and attach them as before and after! It is just about completely black again, I had no idea the pigment would reappear as well as it has. I would have just been happy to dry his nose up and have it heal pink but we all are completely stunned with the difference. I am just so relieved I didn�t go the tattooing route, didn�t want to as his nose was always so raw I couldn�t bear the thought of it taking a year or if ever to heal!!! You can�t really see on the after photo but his mouth and eyes are perfect and his nose has an extremely thin pink line, we are talking hairs width and even that is becoming more mottled by the moth as the pigment returns and he also has a few tiny spots of pink here and there but they are also rapidly disappearing. I can fully sympathise with anyone battling with Collie nose as we really went to hell and back! Even the before photo isn�t as bad as it often was, it was usually bleeding and just nasty! We ordered muti from USA and Australia but they did nothing at all to affect it. Tried all sorts of creams and lotions which he usually just licked off. Was given some cortisone cream by yet another vet which just made the skin on his nose as thin as tissue paper. Went to just about every Q&A site on BC�s that I could find and talked to breeders all to no avail! Karen used to work for Dr. Eckersley years ago and even she admits although he is a pig of a man (as far as he is concerned all other vets are A-holes who know nothing!) he is by far the best vet in SA. My kudos now is if any of my dogs are ill they first go to my vet (although she is not a specialist she is a fantastic vet who I trust with my life!) if they don�t come right there she gets a second chance to amend herself and then they go straight to Gary Eckersley! I promise you if I phone tomorrow I will only be able to get an appointment in about 2 weeks time. He is strictly by appointment only and is very much in demand. He is at 185 Palomino Rd, Beaulieu, Kyalami. Tel 702-1957 If you have friendly pharmacist try to get some Tetracycline and Medrol and try them out! Will save you the consultation fee! If they want a prescription I can fax you Jamie�s! It has the vets heading on it and details of the medication i.e. dose and dosage. Hope I have helped a fellow sufferer (you and the dog!) Cheers Julie

FAQS.ORG makes no guarantees as to the accuracy of the posts. Each post is the personal opinion of the poster. These posts are not intended to substitute for medical, tax, legal, investment, accounting, or other professional advice. FAQS.ORG does not endorse any opinion or any product or service mentioned mentioned in these posts.

<< Back to: rec.pets.dogs: Collies Breed-FAQ

[ Home | FAQ-Related Q&As | General Q&As | Answered Questions ]

Question by sadee
Submitted on 9/28/2003
Related FAQ: rec.pets.dogs: Collies Breed-FAQ
Rating:	Rate this question:
my Collie has scraped all the black off her nose and we had a vet do test . she claims it is a form of lupus and put her on medicine and it is still not better. anyone knowing dogs getting this on there nose?

Answer by Mike
Submitted on 2/27/2004
Rating:	Rate this answer:
My collie had the same thing. Put him on prednozone. I was told do not put anything on him with vitamin E in it.

Answer by Jim
Submitted on 3/19/2004
Rating:	Rate this answer:
My Australian Sheperd had a similar situation, and our vet put him on vitamin E and Omega 3 Fatty acids. We use #48 sunscreen on his nose in the sun

Answer by sassygirl
Submitted on 4/16/2004
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
My Border Collie mix has the same thing happening. The vet told me there is nothing they can do. I am worried about it. Can anyone tell me more. Thanks

Answer by JUSTJAY2U
Submitted on 4/19/2004
Rating:	Rate this answer:
I HAVE A SHELTIE THAT IS 10 MONTHS OLD AND IT DOES LOOK LIKE A SCRAP, HOWEVER WHEN I TOOK MY PUP TO THE VET THEY SAID TO WATCH IT CAREFULLY THAT IT IS SOMETHING CALLED COLLIE NOSE. I WAS TOLD TO PUT A VERY HIGH SUNSCREEN ON IT AND LET IT ABSORB. IT HAS TO DO WITH THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND UVA LIGHT CAN AGGRAVATE IT. I NEED TO WATCH THAT IT DOESNT GET LARGER AND PIGMENT WILL NOT RETURN.

Answer by Sassygirl
Submitted on 4/28/2004
Rating:	Rate this answer:
The black is off of the top of her nose now and is quite raw at times. It will scab over but then become raw again. I am keeping her out of the sun but I am worried.

Answer by Crale
Submitted on 5/8/2004
Rating:	Rate this answer:
My BC/Retriever mix has the same thing that has now spread into his upper lip and there are lesions on his snout and near the corners of his eyes. Vet did biopsy and lab came back with "chronic dermatitis"...vet says no because dog is 3 and there are no other areas on body affected. We are having results sent to specialist for 2nd opinion. Dog is on antibiotics now and miserable. Beautiful black nose is now pink and green and scaly. sniff.

Answer by Sassygirl
Submitted on 6/2/2004
Rating:	Rate this answer:
I have finally found out my dog has Discoid Lupus. A biopsy was done and these are the results. She is taking Prednisone and also antibiotics for infection in her nose. I'm not sure for how long but they also advised me to give her a Vitamin E tablet daily and keep her out of the sun. I recommend getting a biopsy done if your dog is having any of the signs mentioned above.

Answer by Alison
Submitted on 8/5/2004
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
My border collie has just red flesh left on her nose, no black. :( She's on prednisone and seems to be responding well to it.

Answer by John Wolfe
Submitted on 1/30/2005
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
DO NOT PUT YOUR DOG ON PREDNISONE--IT WILL KILL HIM/HER! My collie had the same problem, the result of an infected cat- scratch. Prednisone attacks the heart and causes irregular rhythm. He was dead of a heart attack in just two months. He was on one gram of prednisone per day. Prednisone has killed children as well--the same way. It is often perscribed for allergy. A friend was perscribed it and he said it made his heart race, and he felt very bad from it (thankfully he stoped taking it right away). Steriods are for short term use only--one week or less.

Answer by Mike
Submitted on 2/3/2005
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
Your little dog probably has lupus. get her on a course of anti biotics first to make sure there is no opportunistic infection on her snout. Then get the lowest dose of prednisone you can get. She will need to stay on it for the rest of her life. Unfortunately it will make her extremely UV sensitive, her hair will become duller and thinner, she joints will deteriorate. Get her on some fish oils for the coat. Brace yourself but you may have to put her down after 2-3 years on this treatment. It will age her like you cannot believe. Enjoy her now while you can.

Answer by curly
Submitted on 4/2/2005
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
I to have a collie with the nose problem, I was told it was just an allergy, I put the sun block on but it just gets licked off.

Answer by shar
Submitted on 5/5/2005
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
a german shepherp lives 10 to 15 years

Answer by Kim
Submitted on 9/5/2005
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
I was just told today that my two year old border collie has Lupus, and have no idea what it even is. His been put on medication and been told to stay out of the sun, at the moment its only his nose but I want to know if it can spread or be life threatening? Can somebody please help?

Answer by chipper
Submitted on 10/2/2005
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
my collie has the same raw nose,he is on prednisone,tetracycline,vitamin e and niacin. He has gained alot of weight so I'm am going to try a natural med.

Your name or nickname:
If you'd like to create a new account or access your existing account, put in your password here:
Your answer:

Answer by barhrtcequine
Submitted on 10/12/2005
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
I have worked with vets that treat this problem They have successfully treated it by tattooing the nose. I in fact tattoo dogs and horses for these purposes. the vets are pleased with the results. Want more info? look up nasal solar dermatitis on the web and see what I mean. If you are interested in how the find a person to tattoo let me know

Answer by Zoey's mom
Submitted on 1/5/2006
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
My border colliemix has not only the lesions on her nose, mouth, and corners of her eyes, but it's around the pads on her paws as well. We've spend tons of money trying to figure out what it is and also had a biopsy done that told us it was a nonspecific dermitis, but I'm am sure now that it's collie nose. So we're going to a specialist in the morning. Wish us luck.

Answer by marie
Submitted on 4/3/2006
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
My dog, who is also a border collie, recently had a biopsy done on her nose because she had a lot of flaking and what looked like breaking down of the tissues on her nose. This turned out to be that she not only had discoid lupus but she also had an allergy to plastic. She is now on steroids and we changed her bowl from a plastic one to a stainless steal bowl. So maybe if your dog is having a problem with its nose you should try using only stainless steal bowls when feeding her, this might help improve the situation.

Answer by mar
Submitted on 3/20/2007
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
It could be phemphigus--try astragulus and germanium--my wire hair's black nose would break and fall off--these two products helped his nose and it would return to normal.

Answer by hokeypokey
Submitted on 6/12/2007
Rating: Not yet rated	Rate this answer:
My shepard has the same scabby nose everyone is talking about. The vet first said a form of lupus without taking blood work or biospy and put her her steroids, nothing happend. Vet then took blood work and said no cancer/lupus only a low thyroid problem and she is now taking medicine for that with no results. Her nose looks terrible and her eyes are very droopy...What to do????????