My dog has a rapidly growing pink spot on his nose. Is it serious?

Question

Within the last week my dog has developed a pink spot on his nose which has been growing rapidly since we discovered it. He doesn't seem bothered by it at all, but he seems to have a very high pain tolerance from past injuries. While searching online, I found some very similar pictures under "canine lupus" I was wondering if you could help give me an idea of what this could be, if not lupus, and also give me your opinion on the severity of this issue. Thank you. I plan to take him to a vet asap. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 2 years and 5 months old | 86 lbs

Silvia De Cecco, DVM, MRCVS · Accepted Answer

The lesion you are describing and visible in the pictures could include many different diseases, for example: a trauma, a localized bacterial infection, a fungal infection and, even if very unlikely, a neoplastic skin disease (i.e. nasal lymphoma). Discoid lupus erythematous cannot be excluded at this and the presentation might be compatible. Each of these diseases has a different treatment .Generally speaking, I would suggest to keep the area clean with some saline (if cupid dirts his nose while sniffing in the garden) and avoid scratching and licking from other dogs. I wouldn't use any cream and, as you already anticipated, I would suggest a check up with your local veterinarian. Hopefully is just a trauma and will resolve quickly but, the final diagnosis is reached by taking a biopsy of skin from the affected area. A biopsy can be taken under general anesthetic/sedation, otherwise a smaller sample through a fine needle (FNA) or through a skin scrape can be collected. Please post again on the forum if you would like to discuss it further. I hope my answer was helpful.

My dog has a rapidly growing pink spot on his nose. Is it serious?

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