loss of pigment in dog nose

Question
My golden retriever is 1 1/2. He has always had a dark black nose, but over the last couple of months it has been getting lighter in color. It now looks almost pink. He eats and drinks out of stainless steel bowls and we live in Florida so I do not think it could be winter nose. What could it be?  

Answer
Labradors, Golden retrievers, Bernese Mountain dogs and Siberian huskies may have seasonal variation in the color of the nasal planum, usually lighter in the winter and darker in the summer. The cause of this is not known, either. Some vets refer to this as "snow nose".

However, there are other potential causes just to be aware...

1. Vitiligo can cause loss of pigment of the nose and it may also be part of a syndrome of immune mediated disease in which hypothyroidism also occurs. Dogs with vitiligo normally have development of patches of white hair or white hairs scattered in the hair coat.  

2. Contact dermatitis can cause loss of pigment in the nose --some dogs are reported to be sensitive to the plastic that is found in some feeding bowls, for instance. Continual irritation might lead to loss of pigment. Usually the lips are also are inflamed or may have pigment loss, too.

3. Discoid lupus and phemphigus can lead to loss of pigment of the nose but it is usually patchy and most often there are sores around the edges of the nose and often eyelids too.