Pink lips?

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:31 am

My friend Muriel's Beardie Pipa, who has had Cushing's disease for 2 years, has a question that I hope some of you may be able to answer. Pipa's Cushing has now been stabilized with her Vetoryl treatment and she is doing really well. However, for the last few months, Muriel has noticed that Pipa's lips (the part which is normally black in slate Beardies) plus the area between nose and mouth, are getting more and more discoloured. Now they are totally pink! You can see it in this photo of a very relaxed Pipa taken yesterday Smile

:

Pipa's vet is quite perplexed and doesn't really know whether this is due to Cushing's disease or to a side effect of the Vetory treatment... Has any of you ever encountered a similar case?... And I forgot to mention that Muriel has told me that Pipa's footpads have also turned pink.

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:03 am

Sorry Nina, no idea but....that nose needs a kiss..... Smile

Friend for Life Joined: 09 Jan 2009 Posts: 19159

Hi Nina,

When Doris was 2 she lost all her pigment, nose was completely pink along with her lips and around her eyes. The pigment came back but i have noticed that the last few weeks her nose is slightly faded again. It's down to her being autoimmune. She's fine but maybe the stress of Basil arriving has triggered something again Rolling Eyes

I used to give a supplement, i can't remember the make, but it was possibly this one...

https://animal-health.co.uk/pigment-plus.html

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 10:50 am

Sorry Nina I can't help with a reason but it does seem to be a lack of pigment. I believe Dorwest herbs do an elderberry supplement which may help.

I do love your Christmas siggy picture Very Happy

Newbie Joined: 13 May 2017 Posts: 7

Hi

not seen this in dogs but did have this once in a welsh cob. Vet prescribed a mineral supplement. It was about 50 years ago so memories hazy but I think he said it was a zinc deficiency. whatever deficiency it was adding supplements restored his colour.

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:02 pm

So many thanks for those helpful replies! I've just sent their French translations to my friend Muriel, who will no doubt be delighted to see that natural (herbal or mineral) solutions exist! FBCers are the best! Very Happy

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:04 pm

Please tell Muriel to pass on the nose kiss from me, Nina.... Cool

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:27 pm

Of course I will, Judy! Very Happy

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:49 pm

Christmas mercis, Nina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h2IhEPbc-Y

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:52 pm

Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2018 1:27 pm

Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 10:17 am

Thanks to your precious suggestions, Muriel has been able to buy some Dorwest elderberry and nettle extract in France - better shipment fee than from abroad, of course. (the product sold by Animal Health was only available from the UK). Let's see if/how it works for Pipa!

Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2018 8:56 pm

Hope this helps Nina, but Kelp Powder is one of the best!

I always gave my Beardies a teaspoon on their dinner, and got it from

the natural health shop. When they're puppies is important, when their pigment is still forming. Hope this helps. Smile

Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 6:43 am

Thanks, Pam. I did mention kelp to Muriel and she said she already gives some to Pipa regularly to help her system fight Cushing's.

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:49 am

Does she give it to her every day, a teaspoon on her dinner??

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:49 pm

Yes Pam, her 2 Beardie girls have been getting 4 and 5 grammes of Kelp respectively on their dinners everyday for quite some time (Pipa is a small Beardie type and Elfie is bigger) as it is very efficient to prevent scaling (same effect as Plaque Off - it's the same seaweed but cheaper!). It hasn't been sufficient to prevent Pipa's discolouring but of course it is linked in some way or other to her Cushing's condition.

I thought you might like to see Muriel's beautiful girls:

This is Pipa, she is 5 years old and my Foxie's niece! She looks so much like her Auntie Foxie that we sometimes find it difficult to know who is who, on photos or even in real life during Beardie weekends!

And this is Elfie, 9 years old, aka "the Queen Mother"!!! A very dignified, majestically moving lady...

web images

Posted: Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:54 pm

They are both beautiful girls Nina, you'd never know Pipa had anything wrong. Shocked

Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2018 6:50 am

That's right Pam, Pipa is her usual playful and loving self and responding really well to her treatment for Cushing's. There's just this discolouring problem which started to appear shortly after the pic above had been taken.