Expert: Kaza - 2/10/2010

Question
My Bichon Frise is just coming up to three years old now. Up until about 4/5 months ago she had a totally black nose.  This is almost all pink now.

Can anyone tell me why this is, and also if it is at all possible to regain her original black colour?

Answer
Hi there Amy well this time of year white coated dogs tend to lose some pigment , many people believe its a diet issue but in reality if the diet isnt changing then this is highly unlikely, actually its commonly referred to as 'snow nose' it happens when the weather is very cold and less sunlight can manage to support the natural body works. It should return to normal during the Spring.
Sometimes this is related to thyroid being less active the way to tell is give some kelp for two week (1tsp every two days ) in the diet, but it can also be genetic and comes from the parents grandparents and great grandparents, many puppy farmed dogs or dogs bred from poorly managed gene pools will produce a dog like this and its not a concern , its just a fact of life.

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