Collie Nose - Fixes??

[pardygwyn]

"Collie Nose" gets bandied around a lot to refer to hair loss and inflammation around the nose, but not all hair loss and inflammation around the nose is Collie Nose.

Besides bacterial problems, plastic can cause an allergic reaction that looks similar to Collie Nose, depending on the dog and/or the plastic. I once had a dog who would react to a particular plastic crate in a way that looked scarily like Collie Nose (I feed my dogs in their crates). Needless to say, he was switched with someone in a wire crate! Problem gone.

It's also important to note that pigmentation isn't always an indication that the dog is safe from the sun. I had to treat a rough collie rescue with no white on her muzzle for sun-induced sores once. I haven't heard from her new owners as to whether a diagnosis was obtained, but I suspect she had something more serious than simple solar dermatitis.

 

[Mountain Man Jim]

Thanks folks for the responses. We don't use plastic dishes. I might try switching to a wire crate.

We think it's caused by the sun, wind and dry conditions up here. Problem is we have had no luck with sunscreen; it gets licked off in 2 s.

The vets usually treat this with steroids which can be hard on the dog. I was hoping someone had an alternative.

Jim