The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologist (ACVO) sponsors free eye exams every year for registered service dogs and therapy dogs. There are only a handful of Vets who participate in this program, however we really lucked out and were able to make an appointment at a great speciality/emergency animal hospital down here. So since it was free, we registered and scheduled an appointment. We went today and Frankie eyes were perfect YAY!

However the eye vet asked if Frankie has always has the pink spots on his nose. I wasn't really sure, but I do know I just seemed to notice it one day. He recommended that I keep a photo journal of his nose (he took pics too for his records) to make sure it doesn't get pinker as losing pigmentation in the nose can be indicative of more serious issues. He said there are no issues now but to watch his nose along with his skin and any changes should be looked at. Keeping a photo journal wont' be too difficult

I know Huskies are prone to "snow nose" in the winter months, but we don't exactly get winter in FL. I'm not worried, just curious. Anyone heard of this or had any issues with it?

What's 'snow nose'?

Funny you brought this topic up about his nose...Recently, I noticed a dot on one side of Ginger's nose. At first I thought she nicked it somewhere and that it would scab over and that'd be the end of that. But it's a small pink-ish dot...

I'll watch this 'dot' on her nose too....

Claudia,
snow nose is what S&J have, look at todays pictures and you can really see it on Jack. it is the pink middle on the nose. mine have it year round it just gets pinker in the winter i love it.

from the pics you have of Frankie in your sig. it looks like he has a faint hint of snow nose.

Aw, I love snow nose!
Storm has a tiny hint of snow nose

I've seen Sibes born without their snow nose. It usually started showing up right around their first winter shed OR their second year, when they grew in their adult coat. It seems more common in the darker colors. Gustav, although he is a mix, did the same thing. It went from completely black, to grey and black, and then finally BRIGHT pink and black. In your sig, Frankie has the SAME nose that Gustav did for a while. I think he's just "growing in his nose". Lol.

Also, scabs and injuries to the nose can result in a lighter color for a while. Zander had a scratch on his nose for a while, and it was the same shade of his nose stripe . It faded back to dark red eventually.

Both of my boys have their snow nose year-round, and we are in Mississippi. I think it's just part of their markings.

Nikolai definitely has a snow nose. Lemme hunt down a picture... or rather, I'll snap one when I get home after work.

ETA: You can definitely see it in this picture.

I figured it was just part of their markings. I think it's kinda cute. But of course I had to look at older pictures. His nose was all black at one point, but then again he also had a full black mask around his eyes too that has also faded.

3/2010


5/2011


His dark mask 10/09

Ginger's nose is pink under her nostrils, like Frankie's....
I think it was always like that since we adopted her on August 4, 2010.

Dee, those pics of Frankie look like a normal snow nose starting to come in. Perfectly normal! It starts out small looking like little dots of faint pink emerging and gets pinker and pinker. Dogs can get snow noses regardless of season or climate. Typically the snow nose appears in winter (hence the name) because the dog does not need the dark pigmentation to protect from sun damage which is why typically you'll see the black nose (or lack of a snow nose) in summer when their nose is more prone to summer sun damage...since pink is more vulnerable to sunburns than black. But that isn't always the case and some dogs have snow noses year round, others change slightly but not completely, and really there's just a whole range of combinations. lol

Here's Dakota's nose changes as an example going from black to snow nose:

Black


Changing


Changing


Snow nose!


Most of the year he's somewhere between a snow nose and black.

Wow!
That was cute to scroll down and reading the caption until suddenly, 'SNOW NOSE!'


Now, I'll have to keep an eye on Ginger and Storm to see if their nose changes in the winter...

I remember a couple months after we adopted our sibe, the hubby and I were going through pics he had taken and I freaked out saying "Is his nose changing color?!" I had no idea what a snow nose was back then despite spending several years researching the breed before we adopted.

Mya has snow nose also! Just learned the name though..lol. I love it! It's so cute! I have a fairly big tattoo of her on my thigh and the snow nose came out perfect! I LOVE IT! Yes, a tattoo of Mya..lol

So far Reiko's has stayed black, but his coat keeps changing colors!

Aww a tattoo of Mya! I would love to see!

j.gabriel wrote:

So far Reiko's has stayed black, but his coat keeps changing colors!

Aww a tattoo of Mya! I would love to see!

I'll post some pics up! =)

MelissaI wrote:

I'll post some pics up! =)

Here's the link to your new thread to make it easier for people to find.

My Mya Tattoo

Huskyluv wrote:

MelissaI wrote:

I'll post some pics up! =)

Here's the link to your new thread to make it easier for people to find.

My Mya Tattoo

Thanks Val! =)

Luka has a snow nose that stays all year! She got it her second winter with us and is been there ever since. I'm glad it stays, I love it! My boyfriend calls it the broken snow nose due to the fact it doesn't change! Don't think Kitty will ever get a snow nose due to her dark pigment.