Your dog seems totally fine, but her beautiful black nose suddenly has a pinkish strip down the middle—and it is getting larger every day. She doesn't seem to be itchy, and the texture of her nose looks and feels the same as always. What's going on? Your dog may have snow nose!
Snow nose, also known as winter nose, is the loss of pigment in the nose. The nose may go from its normal shade of black or brown to a light brown or pink. This hypopigmentation is usually temporary, and the nose will usually go back to normal in time. It often starts as just a patch or stripe in the middle of the nose, but may spread to affect the entire nose leather. The change in color can sometimes be permanent.
Snow nose got its name because it seems to occur more often in cold climates during the winter. It was once believed that it only happened during the winter, but snow nose can actually occur any time of year and in any climate.
Thankfully, it is nothing to worry about. Dogs affected by snow nose still have their normal sense of smell, and the nose leather will keep its usual cobblestoned appearance and slightly damp surface. The only change is the color.
We don't entirely know why snow nose happens. It is a low priority for research because it is only a cosmetic change and does not impact the dog's health or comfort. Some theories state that changes in the length of daylight, temperature, or the enzyme tyrosinase may be involved in causing snow nose.
Eating and drinking from plastic bowls can sometimes cause changes in nose pigment, so if your dog with snow nose uses a plastic bowl, you can try switching to stainless steel or ceramic and see if the nose returns to and stays its normal color.
Because we don't know what causes snow nose, there is no treatment. The lighter nose can be more sensitive to sun damage, so your dog may benefit from some dog-safe sunscreen applied to her nose when she is going to be out in the sun a lot.
There are other conditions that can cause changes in the color of your dog's nose, including:
If the only change in your dog is the color of her nose, you have nothing to worry about. Her nose being dry once in a while is also normal. Changes in the nose that are a cause for concern include:
If your dog is experiencing any of these symptoms, or has other general signs of illness or behavioral changes in addition to a change in the color of her nose, she should be seen by your veterinarian.
Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, Siberian huskies, and Bernese mountain dogs are the most common breeds to get snow nose, although any breed or mix can get it. This suggests that there might be a genetic component to this condition, but we don't know for sure at this point.