Reese's nose- DLE?

[AliceR]

Hi- @Dr.Jeff and @Dr. Christina- I asked about my dog Reese's nose on one of the Empower Hours- at that time, white spots had turned up.

He is an almost 12 yr. old English Shepherd- rescued at 4 weeks from a hoarder/breeder situation with over 200 other dogs. He was badly malnourished at the time, had to be hospitalized.

Adopted him at about a year- he is hypothyroid and had a splenectomy in 2015 because he was not making RBCs. About that time, his nose became crusty and he was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Vet suggested using all natural Snout Snoother. Another vet suggested doubling the fish oil daily.

I think it's actually looking better, the white spots went away, but my current vet thinks it's discoid lupus- and wants me to put Entederm https://www.drugs.com/vet/entederm-ointment.html- I told her I would wait, but she warned that it would be easy to treat now...and she didn't say what would happen later. Enclosing the photo of the nose with the white spot on it, now all dark again. My vet said to watch to see if the nose retained cobblestone appearance.
Thank you,
Alice

 

[AliceR]

Hello again,
Here is a picture of his nose today.. I'm thinking not to use the entederm as it is anti everything? His BEAM is great.
Alice

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Yes Alice, that cream is anti, anti and anti.

Yes, normal BEAM and physical improvement would also make me want to rethink using any anti.

Have you checked for internal symptoms with blood and urine tests in the past few months?

 

[AliceR]

Yes, Dr. Jeff, all bloodwork was normal in July 2020.

 

[AliceR]

Hello @Dr.Jeff and @Dr. Christina- I found a scabby black spot, don't know if you can see in photo right above Reese's lip- could this be part of DLE? Any suggestions?
Alice

 

[AliceR]

Well, whatever it was came off this afternoon when I was looking at it.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

I found a scabby black spot, don't know if you can see in photo right above Reese's lip- could this be part of DLE?

Fantastic, that it came off Alice! The vitality and balance perspective sees all of his skin, and other, symptoms as being related to one underlying physiologic imbalance.

In the case of discoid lupus (or any other autoimmune dis-ease like Piper's pemphigus foliaceus) these may manifest with commonly seen skin manifestations.

Symptoms, of any kind, are our friends and guides that allow us to better help our pets.

 

[Dr. Sara]

Dear Alice,
Here is a link to a conventional site explaining DLE:

Veterinary Information Network (VIN) - For Veterinarians, By Veterinarians

As you can see, the conventional treatment focusses on suppressing the immune system, which is NOT something we want to do.
DLE can not be definitively diagnosed without a biopsy (ouch!) so treatment is often based solely on the signs. A lot of dogs with hyperkeratosis (common in old dogs) are treated for DLE. Reese has responded to treatments appropriate for hyperkeratosis, so that is the most likely cause of his nose problems.
Old animals may get a lot of lumps and bumps. My general rule of thumb is, if the lump is small, and not bothering the patient, I am not going to bother the lump. Gently clean lumps (cooled black tea is good for this), keep an eye on them, and try not to worry too much.
The best prevention of disease is good care and feeding, and the best indicator of health is a robust BEAM!
Stay well,
Dr. Sara

 

[AliceR]

Thank you Dr. Sara. The article was very informative, if a little scary, in regards to treatments. The biopsy sounded pretty bad as well.

Reese is 12 now, but he developed problems with his nose after his splenectomy at age 6- prior to that, his nose was quite dry. I'm glad, though, the growth on his lip came off.

I posted a new thread under homeopathy concerning treatment with homeopathy and a risk of return of his symptoms (low RBCS). I would love your input on that.

Thank you,
Alice