Maltipoo puppy with white coat & spotted nose: health concerns?

I can see what you've mentioned with darker skin pigmentation and a bit of hair loss around his ear. It's certainly possible that the pigment change is a normal variation, because skin pigment can change a bit over time. However, that doesn't explain his hair loss. I agree that the area pictured doesn't look consistent with significant inflammation, which is often associated with allergies or many infectious conditions. Instead, I'd tend to be more concerned about vasculitis or autoimmune issues. Ultimately, I think it would be best to take your puppy to his vet for an exam. Depending on their exam findings, your vet may need to examine some skin cells under a microscope or submit a biopsy sample of skin to a pathologist to get to the bottom of this issue. A bit of sneezing or very mild itching isn't uncommon this time of year, as springtime allergens can bother dogs just as much as people.

Those colors can both darken and lighten over time. Generally speaking Labrador retrievers can be prone to hip dysplasia, ear infections, allergies, elbow dysplasia and as they get older certain types of cancer such as lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma. For this puppy you could discuss with the breeder if any testing was done on either parent such as OFA hip/Penn Hip radiographs, health guarantee or veterinary records for the puppy.

Hello, Lioh's may be undergoing de-pigmentation changes in his nose either due to sun allergy if he is outdoors a lot or a form of vitiligo. If sun allergy, this can be very itchy and may spread to other parts of the body. Vitiligo is mainly a cosmetic change that doesn't require medical management. You may monitor for sneezing, bleeding, or rubbing at his nose and consider taking him to your veterinarian if he is showing any of these. Otherwise, he looks like a very cute guy. Hope this helps

The spot on the nose could be a scab, small mass, or ringworm. I don't really see evidence of hairloss or hair lightening in the picture, so I am not sure what that could be. You can try apply an antifungal cream to the spot on the nose twice daily for a week. If it doesn't seem to respond, Kobe should get checked out by a vet.

Thank you for submitting your additional pictures regarding Kion. He is adorable! I still believe that the pigment spots are normal for his breed. They appear flat, not red and I do not see any scabs present. I do not think they should be anything to worry about for him. I hope this information helps!

This is likely completely normal. Dogs can have patches of brown skin on their pink skin, and the skin won't turn pink again. You can't do anything for it to turn pink, and it's really nothing about which to worry. I hope this helps.

There are breeds of dogs that are prone to a seasonal lightening of the nasal planum (the hard, tough, hairless end of their nose). Sometimes referred to as “Snow Nose” these dogs (Siberian Huskies, Labradors and Golden Retrievers) can have darker noses in the summer months and lighter noses in the winter. These same breeds plus German Shepherds, Samoyeds, Afghan Hounds and Dobermans (among others) can also experience a gradual or waxing and lightening or fading of their nose color over time. This condition is known as “Dudley Nose." Vitiligo is a progressive disease in which the melanocytes are gradually destroyed causing unpigmented areas on the skin. They develop pigment loss from their skin or hair on their heads, but it can occur in other locations too. In some cases, antibodies against melanocytes have been identified in the serum of infected dogs indicating an immune component to the disorder. And skin biopsies of the affected areas will typically reveal a total lack of any remaining melanocytes. What all three of these causes for depigmentation have is common is the fact that they are not a disease that can bother or hurt your dog at all. There is no reason to worry about them and there is nothing to be done to ‘correct’ them. The depigmentation is purely cosmetic. Some depigmentation is cause for concern. For instance, any contact dermatitis/irritation can cause depigmentation as can certain chemicals in rubber that can affect the production of melanin pigment where the rubber touches the skin. The administration of certain drugs like ketoconazole, procainamide, and vitamin E have been reported to cause generalized changes in coat color in dogs, and injections of other drugs (glucocorticoids, for instance) can cause localized loss of pigment. Additionally, hormonal disorders (imbalances of thyroid, adrenal or sex hormones) can alter pigmentation as can bacterial and fungal infections and even cancers (neoplasias). Immune-mediated diseases also occur in dogs where the dog’s own antibodies attack different parts of the skin resulting in depigmentation. I recommend getting your dog seen by your vet just to be safe. She is young for some of these conditions to occur, but nothing is impossible.