Question Sheila:
Last fall Thor's nose pigment began to fade. I read over Judy's suggestions for Snow Nose and gave them a try. I didn't see much improvement, however, it did not get any lighter. The color has stayed pretty much the same until recently. It has gone from (dare I say it?) pink to off black and seems to be getting darker still. This has occurred in the past week. It is not my imagination either several people have commented on it. Okay, two things which are different for him. We were in Canada for a week at Niagara Falls so his drinking water was different and he had a fight with a rose bush over a ball and I had been applying Vitamin E to the scratches on his muzzle. He's a year and a half old and it's funny because last year around this time is when it started fading. Does anyone have any ideas about what might be going on?

Answer Judy:
All of the things I wrote about snow nose did work for my girl as well as for her sister, Star, but it never lasted. All I can tell you is that my girl's nose is more dark than light. It was lighter "before" I started any of the supplementation in about her 2nd year. It still gets lighter in the winter, but not so light that I look at her and think "snow nose."  But, it is not totally black and hasn't been since she was 1. Truthfully, I don't know what to think about the variation. We could all try rubbing some Vitamin E on our dogs' noses to see if it makes a difference :-).

Question Alma :
I am very interested in your suggestions to try to make the nose more dark. I wrote you an email a while ago, but didn't get an answer yet. The nose of my dog is not completly pink, but it is to light. Of course there is a genetic background that we shouldn't forget, but there no harm in trying.  Hope to hear from you soon.

Answer Judy:
Hi there, I did get your previous message but hesitated answering it until I was sure what I wanted to say. It is becoming increasingly clear to me that taking Vitamin B, Kelp, and the Amino Acids can help, BUT just how much is variable. There are many theories and suggestions about snow nose, but I don't know of scientific proof about any of them. Some other things you will here is that Vitamin D supplementation helps. Maybe, I don't know. Also, the latest possibility that Vitamin E rubbed on a dog's nose, "may" have contributed to darker pigment.

The following supplementation was suggested to me by Wendy Volhard who wrote, "The Holistic Guide to a Healthy Dog."
Bronson
Telephone Number: 1-800-235-3200
#103 Vitamin B, size 250 – Paba, Choline and Inositol

Naturemost Laboratories Inc.
P. O. Box 721
Middletown, Ct. 06457
Telephone Number: 1-860-346-8991

Nature Most Megamino 180 tablets at $12.80 per bottle
Free shipping with $30 or more order

Kelp -- Norwegian -- any health food store

My girl, Kyra, gets the Vitamin B as part of her regular diet, along with the kelp. The Amino Acids are something I only add in the winter.