My dog has a flat, peeling spot under his nose. What could it be?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the picture you have provided, it appears that this could be bacterial or a skin parasite causing the lesion. The skin may need to be cultured and if a skin scraping has not been performed, I would certainly recommend having this done to make sure this is not due to a skin mite such as demodex. If this is not due to a mite and is still there, I would recommend a culture / biopsy of the area for a more definitive diagnosis. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello. While it is impossible to make any kind of actual diagnosis, a lesion like this most likely has an underlying bacterial cause. We often see isolated & well circumscribed lesions on the top of the nose or muzzle just from the fact dogs stick their noses in dirt or other nasty things all day long. Putting anything on this is not recommended because he will lick it off. You can pick up a skin antiseptic like Hibiclens from any pharmacy & just dab this on a couple of times a day. Once your vet has a chance to look, he may put Luna on oral antibiotics, or take a small sample to look at under the microscope. Other than this, there is no need to worry too much about the lesion. Take care, all the best to Luna & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

From the photos it appears that the lesion is affecting both the mucosa of his nose and also his skin. This could be some sort of deep bacterial infection or perhaps something like ringworm (which humans can get). It is also very concerning however for an autoimmune condition. I recommend to have a Bosco visit his veterinarian with in the next day for an exam. The doctor may try treatment or testing for an infection. The doctor may also recommend a biopsy. A biopsy is needed to diagnose an autoimmune condition. Best of luck. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is probably from him rubbing his nose against a cage or something like that. I would suggest checking on that possibility. Otherwise, if that is not possible and this continues have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment to check on a possible infection. Best of luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would take Rem to the Vet. It could be a hot spot (superficial skin infection) or ring worm. They are treated very differently. Hot spots are treated with antibiotics and steroids while ring worm is treated with antifungal medication. I wish Rem the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am not sure I can fully see the area you are concerned about. If it is the area near the nose that has less hair or the 2 white/pink spots. I do not think anything about the picture is life threatening unless I am missing your concerns. Hair loss on the muzzle can be from trauma or repeated digging/rubbing with his nose, ring worm (fungal) or demodex (non-contagious mite). If the area doesn't improve or it spreads then I would have your Vet check him out. If he is rubbing his nose to bury things then prevent him from doing so. I wouldn't recommend putting anything topical on the nose because he will likely just lick it off. I hope this helps and please repost with clarification if needed.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!! Sorry to see that Tiger has this lesion. It’s possible that this is a localized skin infection with some deeper swelling and involvement. That would be called a pyoderma and these lesions can be superficial or even a little deeper. This could be a primary skin problem or secondary to trauma, abrasion, allergies, exposure to ectoparasites (fleas/ticks), or even a tumor. I would advise anything lasting more than a few days to a week and not getting better, would need an exam by your veterinarian to assess. Hopefully this resolves over the next few days but if it’s not getting smaller/better, I would advise Tiger seeing your veterinarian. Thank you and good luck!