Lab's nose is turning pink?!?

[Jill]

I have a 2 year old yellow lab who normally has a dark black nose, but when it gets colder out it starts to turn pink. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this with their dog?

[LABS4ME]

This occurance is somewhat normal. It is usually caused be a Vitamin D (I think it's D) deficiency. They get this from the sun and with the reduced amount of sun in the winter they will develop a lighter nose. My female's nose goes from jet black to a grayish color, but I've seen them turn pink and/or a tannish color. Nothing to worry about, it will darken again next spring/summer...

Good Luck!

Ken

[duckbuster]

LABS: Once the nose has gone completely pink can you bring it back to black? I keep giving my daughter a hard time about painting her dogs nose black with a sharpie marker.

What do I need to do to reverse this ugly nose back to it's original color?

Thanks!!!

[LABS4ME]

They'll usually begin to darken up with the increased sun light amounts. By May my female's nose is black as coal, where right now it is a dead minnow gray . i don't know if a D supplement will help retain the color or not.

A little more research and the tan noses will always remain tan as this is a chocolate factor breaking through in the yellow gene. These are the true "duddley" noses. Typically yellows that are bred with a black factor will recieve a dose of the dominant (=preferred) black gene and get their black noses, pads, lips, eye rims etc. Yellows bred to chocolate or blacks possessing chocolate or yellows possessing chocolate, can recieve the chocolate factor thus the brown (tan) shading.

It is real common for even the black noses to lose color through the winter though... maybe a gift of a 10 pack to the local tanning salon?

Good Luck!

Ken

[freighttrain50]

just shine her nose with a flashlight for a while

[lawdog]

This is an interesting thread, must have missed it the first time around. My yellow pup has experienced the same phenomenon this winter and I didn't know what it was. Thought maybe he was growing out of a black nose??? This is good to know. I will watch him to see when/if it darkens back up. He's up to about 9 mo's old now.

[O2BFSHN]

Result from labs being too overbread.

You never know what you're going to get now-a-days with a lab.

Just my opinion?

[lawdog]

Quote:

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Result from labs being too overbread.

You never know what you're going to get now-a-days with a lab.

Just my opinion?

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I think that's a bunch of bunk. Do you have ANY evidence to support this claim??? My dog comes from real good quality animals and not any sort of diluted line.

[duckbuster]

Was your dogs nose blk and now it's pink? If so what have you done to change it back?

Thanks

[LABS4ME]

o2bfishn... not over bred, it has nothing to do with that... inside dogs especially will lose pigment due to lack of sun, outside dogs less. No different than you or I being lighter in the winter than the summer. The true "duddley" noses (tan) and lack of black pigment on the dog may not be desirable for most (usually not an accepted breed std), but is still not caused from "over breeding". Just not bred back to enough "black dominant" genes. Yellow either carries the blk dominant or chocolate mutated gene. Thus the deterimination in the pigment factor.

Good Luck!

Ken

[duckbuster]

LABS: Do you think because our yellow is in the house she will have the pink nose for the rest of her life? Do you think I should start working on my daughter about painting the nose blk?

Thanks!!

[fishnhooks]

My dogs nose gets pink in the winter and it goes back to black by summer. Nothing to worry about.

Just tell people that the black wore off from the aggressive hunting it did through hunting season

"hooks"

[Bushwacker]

Quote:

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Result from labs being too overbread.

You never know what you're going to get now-a-days with a lab.

Just my opinion?

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I think this is very weak attempt at trolling Labs are so plentiful for a reason!!!

[lawdog]

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Was your dogs nose blk and now it's pink? If so what have you done to change it back?

Thanks

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There he is the first day I got him, note the nose...

Now its pretty much pink, but the hair around it is still dark. I haven't done anything to change it, nor would I. It is what it is...

[duckbuster]

I just think that the black nose on a yellow looks a lot better than the pink one she has now. I am pretty confident that it will never go back to black. So I will just continue to give my daughter a hard time about taking out the sharpie. It is what it is.

[duckbuster]

Lawdog I didn't mean to use your catch phrase at the end there. Please don't take offense.

I think once they turn pink at 1 1/2 or so they will not change back. Where did you get your little guy or not so little guy any more?

[lawdog]

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Where did you get your little guy or not so little guy any more?

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He's from AB Kennel in St. Peter. Pretty good dog so far, lots of drive and a good nose. If I get back to work on the training he'll be real good. And you are right he's not nearly as little as he was that day I brought him home. He's about 60-65 lbs now...