Author Topic: Need help with pigment change  (Read 16569 times)

Offline dog lover

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Need help with pigment change
« on: October 20, 2008, 08:28:58 am »
Hiya  :)

I need some info if any one can help that would be fantastic ...

I have attached two pictures of my leo , one taken in may 2008 & the other august 2008 .

She was in a show the other day and the judge said he couldn't place her higher because of the pigment on her lips , which i took on board & thought fair enough .

It wasn't untill i looked at pictures that i noticed the difference , she has gone from having dark pigment on her mouth  to a light pink colour in a couple of months...

I noticed a while ago her mouth seemed to droop more than normal , but i know now its because of thr colouringit just stands out more.

My 1st question is ... does any one know what has caused this ?

My next question is what can i do or use to fix it ?

Any help or advice would be great .

Thanks so much.

**** Just wanted to add its not so much for showing reasons i'm asking about this , it's more im concerned that i'm doing something wrong... maybe her diet i dont know ****
« Last Edit: October 20, 2008, 09:17:35 am by dog lover »
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Tonda

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2008, 08:43:29 am »
All Experts “Ask the Veterinarian” has the following:

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Ask-Veterinarian-700/Dog-pink-skin-colour.htm

Subject: Dog - pink skin colour on lips

Question
I have a 2 1/2 year old Labradoodle.  I noticed about a month ago that one of her lower lips had turned pink from its usual black color, and the texture appeared to be a bit different.  Other than that her health is excellent.  It is closer to normal than it was but has not returned all the way.  What causes this and is there any action I should take?

Answer
It may have changed color from irritation.  You can try applying Vitamin E to the area.  However, if it is not looking normal, then a biopsy of the skin is the only true-fire way to know what is going on.  Some dogs can get lupus or othe immune-mediated skin diseases that can start with changes on the lips, face or nose.

Ask the Vet supposedly has an answer too, but they want me to pay $4 to find out what it is:

http://www.ask-the-vet.com/doghealthquestions/dog-lips-changing-color/97.html

Sounds like a trip to the vet might be in order (isn’t it always *sigh*).

Hope she’s ok!
« Last Edit: October 20, 2008, 08:44:30 am by MastiffOverload »

Offline People Whisperer

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2008, 09:00:00 am »
Hmm, looks weird...it seems like it's her gum pink and not her lip but it's not very clear  :-\
From what I have heard, change in pigment can be caused by Vitamin B defficiency. This is what my vet recommended

http://www.bronsonvitamins.com/vitamins/b-vitamins/103A/b-complex-with-choline

Lily had issues with her nose which turned from black to pretty darn brown. As we found out it was caused by lack of sun light as Lily spends most of her days in our bed! LOL

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Offline VdogLover

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2008, 09:39:02 am »
Kelp is known to help bring out natural dark pigment.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2008, 10:02:54 am by VdogLover »

Offline BigSoftandFluffyLover

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2008, 01:47:33 pm »
Wait, nose pigmentation depends on sunlight?!  I've always thought Rasputin's nose was a mood ring of sorts.  When he was a puppy it was black, now its a light brown.  I'll add a pic.  And then sometimes is darkens up just a little.  Now im worried.  Could this be bad?!  :-[ :-[
« Last Edit: October 20, 2008, 01:54:53 pm by BigSoftandFluffyLover »

Offline FXgirl

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2008, 03:34:43 pm »
None of my three leos have completely dark lips or gums.  De-pigmentation happens with age.  I wouldn't stress about it but if it makes you feel better see your vet.

If that's the only thing the judge could critique about your girl I say congrats.  She's a beauty.  It's just something you'd have to keep in mind when/if choosing a stud that he has dark pigmentation.

Offline People Whisperer

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #6 on: October 21, 2008, 02:07:16 pm »
Wait, nose pigmentation depends on sunlight?!  I've always thought Rasputin's nose was a mood ring of sorts.  When he was a puppy it was black, now its a light brown.  I'll add a pic.  And then sometimes is darkens up just a little.  Now im worried.  Could this be bad?!  :-[ :-[
Light nose is pretty common in all white Pyrs if genetics are involved. It comes from a breeding all "white" to "white" for an extended period. Kelp and Vitamin B do help but only to a certain point  :(
"To once own a Great Pyrenees is to love and want one always."
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lorim2

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #7 on: October 21, 2008, 03:01:26 pm »
As you can see in the pic below Marleys lip has lost a little spot on his lip.  There is more now and my vet said its very common in large breed dogs.  ??  Not sure if thats right or not...

Offline BigSoftandFluffyLover

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2008, 05:41:04 am »
I grew up with a samoyed that had NO pigment in her nose.  We had to keep a tube of bullfrog 50 spf on the table to put on her nose every time we let her out.  We also tried tattooing her nose, poor thing :(  The tattoo came off in a week, nothing worked but the sun screen.  So i'm not worried about cancer from his nose.  I just wanted to make sure that he wasn't nutrient diffecent or anything like that.  Thank you sooooo much everyone :) :) :)

Offline DixieSugarBear

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2008, 03:18:15 am »
What type water bowl do you use? A lot of pyr breeder require that you use a stainless steel bowl and not plastic.
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Offline BigSoftandFluffyLover

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #10 on: October 23, 2008, 04:19:51 am »
Stainless?  Why?  I just use a plastic tuperwear bowl that hes used since he was a puppy.  Why am i learning all this now?!  :P

Offline sc.trojans

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #11 on: October 23, 2008, 12:38:39 pm »

The original poster did not state the age of the dog - this is key since if we are talking about a developing pup, this could simply be genetic pigment as many noses are.

If not, and already full grown, then further investigation is warranted.

Black hair pigment is directly driven by the amino acid Tyrosine, and supported by Copper and other trace minerals.  People who feed largely a chicken based diet for example often see faded or red coats in their black dogs.  Tyrosine is found in high quantities in red meat and if not fed, may need to be supplemented.

Skin pigment is different however and there are many causes - snow nose, dudley nose, and other genetic factors should be ruled in/out, while looking at medical causes.


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Offline ZooCrew

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Re: Need help with pigment change
« Reply #12 on: October 23, 2008, 12:55:56 pm »
Quote
Plastic dishes can also cause a similar lightening of the nose


Yes I would definately recommend ceramic or stainless steel   Plastic Dish Dematitis (the untechnical name) can cause lightening in the nose of all breeds, due to chemicals in the plastic that can leach out

Yup.  My two rat terriers noses lightened up quite a bit.  Since they were to be show dogs I switched to ceramic bowls for them.  Took a few months to notice any difference (and in Posey it's hard to tell anyway b/c her nose is brown) but Nigel's nose is now a nice black color with no light streak running down the middle.