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My dog's black nose is losing color after an injury, what's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 4 months and 29 days old | 27 lbs

Hi. We’re not sure if our dog had a scratch or bite by another dog. As time goes by his nose losses the black in it. What could be the problem? We can’t go to the vet yet due to some conflict in scheds hope you’ll help. Thanks

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1 Answer

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Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 16th, 2019

This does not appear to be a bite of any form. Could be scratches. I don't see anything here that I would be overly concerned with and I don't think your vet would do anything at this stage either. If you want to try something I would recommend you use this wound spray on the nose. It won't hurt her if he licks it off but I suggest you try to minimize that because if he licks it off, it can't work. So, I suggest soaking a cotton ball with the spray and then wiping it on the nose. Dogs don't typically like being sprayed in the face; you don't want to scare him. Put it on and then distract him for a few minutes with a Kong filled with treats or something similar to get his mind off of it. It should dry rather quickly and you don't need to use a lot - just a very thin layer twice a day. ( https://www.chewy.com/vetericyn-antimicrobial-hydrogel/dp/136104 ) If no improvement or it starts to look worse, then he should definitely see a vet. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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