Anita Mid wrote 08/04/2007 12:49 PM dry crusted nose #150701 - 08/04/2007 12:49 PM
Anita Mid Webboard User Reg: 02-23-2007 Posts: 20 Loc: Offline	My 2 year old German Shepherd has recently developed a really dry crusted and cracked nose. She also has red swollen skin under the 'armpits' of her front legs. Has anyone advice about these symptoms? We have just got back from a month on Vancouver Island so at first I thought her nose was a little sunburnt but it has gotten worse instead of better. She also licks and chews(as in scratching chew) her armpits.
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Carol Boche wrote 08/04/2007 01:22 PM Re: dry crusted nose [Re: Anita Mid ] #150705 - 08/04/2007 01:22 PM
Carol Boche Webboard User Reg: 10-30-2005 Posts: 4531 Loc: South Dakota, USA Offline	A visit to the vet would be my suggestion. Sounds like she may have and allergy or gotten into something or maybe even bitten by something (spider, bee sting ect...) that is causing issues. I would do a once over on her and cover every inch, looking for wounds, bumps or anything else out of the ordinary. What do you feed? and have you fed anyhthing different lately? http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/health/skin.htm I googled "dry crusty nose in dogs" and found this.....there are other several more links if you google, but I would still see the vet. Until The Tale of the Lioness is told, the Story will Always Glorfy the Hunter
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Connie Sutherland wrote 08/04/2007 01:27 PM Re: dry crusted nose [Re: Carol Boche ] #150707 - 08/04/2007 01:27 PM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Quote: Carol Boche A visit to the vet would be my suggestion. Me too. Is there any oozing or crustiness? Or is it all dry? Is there any loss of color? Any blistering? Does the dog have a fever? Is the dog urinating normally? Any signs at all of fever or kidney problems? Are you pretty sure the nose and armpit problems are related (same time)?
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Anita Mid wrote 08/04/2007 04:14 PM Re: dry crusted nose [Re: Connie Sutherland ] #150742 - 08/04/2007 04:14 PM
Anita Mid Webboard User Reg: 02-23-2007 Posts: 20 Loc: Offline	I do feed raw but while we were in Victoria I switched to a high quality kibble that I supplemented with fish oils. I started the switch about a month before we left to be sure there would be no problems. This dryness only showed up after we came home and started the raw food again. I made this switch cold turkey because she had been on raw before and did well on it. I am not sure if the two symptoms are related but they seemed to appear at the same time. I am glad it is not anything obvious that I missed knowing about or doing. I will take her to the vet although I do hesitate because the vet in town happily takes the money but does not seems thorough
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Connie Sutherland wrote 08/04/2007 05:16 PM Re: dry crusted nose [Re: Anita Mid ] #150755 - 08/04/2007 05:16 PM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Quote: Anita Mid I do feed raw but while we were in Victoria I switched to a high quality kibble that I supplemented with fish oils. I started the switch about a month before we left to be sure there would be no problems. This dryness only showed up after we came home and started the raw food again. I made this switch cold turkey because she had been on raw before and did well on it. I am not sure if the two symptoms are related but they seemed to appear at the same time. I am glad it is not anything obvious that I missed knowing about or doing. I will take her to the vet although I do hesitate because the vet in town happily takes the money but does not seems thorough Does the dog have a fever? Is there any loss of pigmentation on the nose? You might want to have some info in mind before going, since you don't totally trust the vet; if I know those two answers I can point you to some reading material.
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Anita Mid wrote 08/04/2007 06:11 PM Re: dry crusted nose [Re: Connie Sutherland ] #150761 - 08/04/2007 06:11 PM
Anita Mid Webboard User Reg: 02-23-2007 Posts: 20 Loc: Offline	Thank you Connie, I have tried to do some searches on the interenet but could not find alot. Robyn does not have a fever and seems just as eager as ever to work. She has a black nose but just by the nostril there is now a pink spot. I have also noticed that her lips on one side are looking dry and a bit swollen. Very wierd and scary.
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Carol Boche wrote 08/04/2007 07:51 PM Re: dry crusted nose [Re: Anita Mid ] #150768 - 08/04/2007 07:51 PM
Carol Boche Webboard User Reg: 10-30-2005 Posts: 4531 Loc: South Dakota, USA Offline	If you do not trust your vet to diagnose this, is there another vet you can go to? Sounds like she got into something......... Until The Tale of the Lioness is told, the Story will Always Glorfy the Hunter
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Connie Sutherland wrote 08/04/2007 08:26 PM Re: dry crusted nose [Re: Carol Boche ] #150773 - 08/04/2007 08:26 PM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Quote: Carol Boche If you do not trust your vet to diagnose this, is there another vet you can go to? Ditto. Some dogs do have a chronically dry crusty nose, and it's often helped a lot with fish oil and vitamin E. But this isn't chronic, apparently. The dog needs to see a vet (or a vet dermatologist, if possible). It can be something as simple as picking up a fungus. It can be ringworm, which looks different on the nose than how it looks on other skin. A bacterial infection is possible, too. All these things could be picked up and manifested pretty fast, just like this. Also, these things could be presenting in the armpits too, I believe. So this is what I'd expect the vet to be looking for. There are more serious problems, too, that make the nose get dry and crusty, like discoid lupus, kidney problems, inflammatory or hormonal illnesses, and even cancer. So you will want to see a vet you trust. Let us know what the vet says. (A fungus seems possible to me, just from what you've written. But a biopsy to rule out discoid lupus might be needed.) I am not a health professional. All JMO.
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Anita Mid wrote 08/05/2007 01:31 PM Re: dry crusted nose [Re: Connie Sutherland ] #150810 - 08/05/2007 01:31 PM
Anita Mid Webboard User Reg: 02-23-2007 Posts: 20 Loc: Offline	Thanks again Connie and Carol for taking time to help me with this. Today Robyn's nose and armpits seemed much improved but under her left eye was swollen so it looked like a pocket under her eye. I did call a vet (the office is closed because of the long weekend) and he was suspisious of discoid lupus. We made an appointment for tuesday. Until then I am wondering about Lupus - can it be controlled by diet? When I googled for information it seemed like this will be a long term condition and will possibly affect organs and joints. She is not yet diagnosed so maybe I am jumping the gun but I wonder if we will be able to continue working together. We do obedience, agility, sheep tending and just for fun tracking. All of these require some strain on joints.
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Connie Sutherland wrote 08/05/2007 02:04 PM Re: dry crusted nose [Re: Anita Mid ] #150818 - 08/05/2007 02:04 PM
Connie Sutherland Moderator Reg: 07-13-2005 Posts: 31571 Loc: North-Central coast of California Offline	Quote: Anita Mid Thanks again Connie and Carol for taking time to help me with this. Today Robyn's nose and armpits seemed much improved but under her left eye was swollen so it looked like a pocket under her eye. I did call a vet (the office is closed because of the long weekend) and he was suspisious of discoid lupus. We made an appointment for tuesday. Until then I am wondering about Lupus - can it be controlled by diet? When I googled for information it seemed like this will be a long term condition and will possibly affect organs and joints. She is not yet diagnosed so maybe I am jumping the gun but I wonder if we will be able to continue working together. We do obedience, agility, sheep tending and just for fun tracking. All of these require some strain on joints. Well, from what I have read, discoid lupus doesn't progress to systemic lupus. So I think the dog's skin (as opposed to joints) is the concern. http://www.animalhealthcare.ca/contents/content.asp?get=faq&id=56&category=Dogs Did you see the non-steroid topical treatments that have come along? http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/ada_studies.php?col=study&val=220 Like you, I too would seriously consider the dog's diet if there is a discoid lupus diagnosis. I would look for a derm vet and/or a holistic vet and discuss fatty acid supplementation. http://www.jaaha.org/cgi/content/abstract/39/2/139 http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/128/12/2783S I haven't read much about discoid lupus. I will tonight, though, and post what I find. Don't forget that there has been no biopsy yet, and so yes, you may be jumping the gun.
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