Turkish Kangal changing nose color

[jeanapa]

I have a 16month old Turkish Kangal female. She is a beautiful golden blonde, with a solid black nose. Just recently the tip of her nose, where her nostrils are, has begun to turn pink. It is a very slight change as just a few spots have faded to a pink color and only noticable when you look closely. I know that the loss of pigmentation in some smaller breeds is normal, however I've been unable to find much information regarding this topic on Turkish Kangals. We don't know alot about her background, we adopted her from a family about 6 months ago. They were unclear about her background as they got her in a similar fashion from a military family that was moving away. I am just curious if this might signify a medical problem, or spread and be permanent. Any information would be appreciated.

[tonyb286]

That's interesting ... let's hope the plastic bowl proves to be the cause, but do let us know if the colour goes black again a couple of weeks after changing the bowl. She may have been licking her nose because it was itching from being allergic to the plastic, but that is only a guess, as some dogs do tend to lick their noses as a slightly neurotic behavioural thing. Tony

[Ghilly]

You're welcome!  I'm glad to hear it was something simple!  :D

Ghilly

[jeanapa]

Thanks for the information! We did recently change the dog's watering dish to a plastic 2.5 gal water dispenser because we have two very large and thirsty dogs who live in the desert. Our other dog is a German shep/mastiff mix. I guess we will have to return to the days of constant refills. I had originally worried that she was somehow managing to lick the color off so to speak. We think she came from a traumatic background and has a tendancy to lick anything and everything constantly. When she can't find something suitable the constant licking is transferred to her nose. I guess the thought of licking the black off her nose is a silly notion, but it was the first thing that came to mind. I'll exchange the water dish, their food is always served in stainless steel. Thanks again!

[Ghilly]

While there is a serious problem that can cause a black nose to turn pink (discoid lupus erythematosus, or DLE, an autoimmune disease), most of the time the cause is something harmless.

Plastic bowls can be the cause.  If this is the reason for the depigmentation it is referred to as plastic bowl dermatitis.  The condition reverses itself when you stop using plastic or rubber bowls and switch your dog's dishes to either aluminum or ceramic.

There is also a condition known as vitiligo that causes a depigmentation of the nose and lips on dogs.  In some instances the entire nose will turn pink.  If the depigmentation is confined only to the nose it is referred to as "Dudley nose".  Unlike the depigmentation caused by plastic dish dermatitis, the depigmentation caused by vitiligo is permanent, so the color will not return.  Unless you are planning to show or breed your dog, this condition is completely harmless, the only bad effect, if you want to call it that, would be the cosmetic one of your dog having to spend the rest of his life with a pink  nose.

I will have to do a bit of research to see what the instance of DLE is in the Turkish Kangal.  

Ghilly

[tonyb286]

This is an interesting subject matter. The most common cause of a fading nose is called “snow nose” or “winter nose,” because the dog’s nose will fade to pink or white during the winter months, and return to black once summer arrives. Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Bernese Mountain dogs, and Siberian Huskies have this seasonal variation in the color of the nasal planum. Some dogs within these breeds, and even dogs of other breeds, have noses that change from black to brown or pink as the animal ages. The cause is thought to be a breakdown of a certain enzyme called tyrosinase, which is responsible for producing pigment. Apparently, the enzyme becomes less efficient as the dog ages, causing the nose to fade from black to brown or pink. Tyrosinase is also temperature sensitive; it works more effectively in warmer weather, which explains the fading of the nose during winter months.

There are also medical conditions that can cause the loss of pigmentation - and once the underlying medical condition has been treated, the nose colour will often return. Another common problem is 'contact dermititus', where the nose is affected through contact with some materials that the dog is allergic to. This can, quite often, include many plastics - such as a plastic dog bowl used for food and/or water. If this seems a possibility, try switching to a stainless steel bowl, as these tend to cause less reactions.

Hope this info provides a few possibile causes. However, it is equally possible that this is all down to your dog's genetics, which predisposes her to having a pink rather than a black nose as she matures. If the pink nose stays pink - and there are no other physical reasons for it - make sure you apply a (dog safe) sun screen to her nose when the weather is hot and sunny, because pink canine noses are very susceptible to getting burnt by the sun.

Tony