Collie Nose - Fixes??

[Mountain Man Jim]

Hey,

Has anyone had a dog with "Collie Nose"? How did you get it treated/cured?

We adopted an Aussie more than a year ago. It seems that when we moved him from the lower elevation to our altitude of 8,000 ft, he has developed Collie Nose. At least, that's the theory of our vet.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[verthandi]

Quote:
Aussie's are prone to getting collie nose. Have you tried using a metal food and water dish? I actually used an old enamel pie plate for my dog's food dish and the problem went away.

 

[Judy]

Yeah, I had a mutt who got this, evidently from eating out of a plastic dish. Went away in time after I switched to stainless.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

I never heard of collie nose before. After google searching, it says the cause is sun exposure. You would get more UV's at a higher elevation.

I haven't had any issues with my aussie who eats out of a plastic bowel with pegs in it to slow her down. I'm also in the rainy Pacific NW where too much sun or UV exposure is not an issue.

Good luck with your boy.

 

[Windrider]

Collie nose is genetic, but is made worse by UV exposure, so Sweet Cheeks is right that it was the extra UV at the high elevation that triggered it.

When we get Collies with collie nose in at our collie rescue, we place them in indoor homes so their time outdoors is limited. Sunblock would technically work, too, if you can keep the dog from licking it off (a big if). It can't be ignored, though. I've seen some rescues come in with almost no nose left. It is horrible.

 

[sourland]

What does a metal feed pan have to do with eliminating collie nose? I too always heard it was a result of exposure to and reaction to sunlight. I don't underestand the metal food pan factor? Truly curious about this.

 

[verthandi]

Quote:
I have no idea why it works sometimes. Maybe the dogs that I have seen with it didn't really have collie nose, but an allergy to plastic???? Over my life time I have had one aussie and one sheltie that their noses would get horrible from plastic dishes but not from metal. My vet actually suggested the use of metal instead of plastic. I have also used ceramic crock dishes with success.

 

[True Grit]

Definitely need sunscreen and limited exposure to the sun. My collie also has canine discoid lupus so if yours loses pigmentation on her lips keep it in mind as a possibility.

 

[sgtmom52]

Quote:
I have no idea why it works sometimes. Maybe the dogs that I have seen with it didn't really have collie nose, but an allergy to plastic???? Over my life time I have had one aussie and one sheltie that their noses would get horrible from plastic dishes but not from metal. My vet actually suggested the use of metal instead of plastic. I have also used ceramic crock dishes with success.

I had problems with plastic dishes too (with my cats) ~ but the problem was caused by the plastic harboring bacteria and causing a type of dermatitis which looks like little pimples. We switched to stainless steel bowls and a course of antibiotics and washing the dermatitis with antibacterial soap cleared it up.

I think that is very different from "collie nose" which is caused by a pigmentation problem in the dogs nose and exposure to sunlight. I think that "collie nose" can't be cured only treated by protecting the dog from UV light exposure.

 

[sourland]

O. K. perhaps the plastic dishes cause a bacterial infection that looks similar to collie nose.