Result from the vets

Well not much really. Just to remind you - Loki has a pink, slightly raised spot on one side of a nostril and inside and the vet put him on antibiotics. They haven't changed anything and he wanted to do a biopsy. He talked about Discoid Lupus, which is an autoimmune disease. Treatment would be steroids + immunosuppressant drugs. For life. Serious stuff. Side effects - dodgy immune system, pot belly, weight gain.

We've decided that, for now, we want to wait and see if his nose changes/gets better/worsens. We don't want a lifetime of drugs and the horrible side effects these things have if it's something that won't give him any bother. At the moment, he doesn't even know it's there. We're hoping to find something herbal too.

We've also e-mailed the breeder to ask if she's ever seen this. Apparently, IF it is Discoid Lupus, this is common in GSDs and huskies - of course the Utonagan was developed from these dogs (+ Malamute).

lucky star im so glad to hear that the spot on loki nose has not got bigger or changed in anyway

fingers crossed its not Discoid Lupus.

Fingers crossed, big hugs for Loki ((((hugs))))

Thanks. He's been very spoiled today.
It's funny how protective you get towards your dog when at the vets.

Hope this all turns out well {{{hug}}}
Trouble is, when you don't know you always think the worst. Be positive.

Poor Loki

LS if you're not keen on all the steroids (and I don't blame you) perhaps you could consult a homeopathic vet?

Thanks again - good idea Tuti. I've found out about two that are relatively near, so I might try to arrange to speak to them.

The thing that got me is that the vet wasn't even going to suggest what it could be. I asked could it be Lupus after looking on the internet. Eventually, he agreed that it might be a good idea to wait as it might just be some infection that may clear up.

Here's hoping.

Hi Lucky Star sorry to hear the news on loki may not be so good ,I am posting some links for you to read ..

these links were previously provided by Jackie and Shadowboxer
I see in one article it mentions vitamin E so maybe worth mention it to the vet. Vitamine E is found mainly in vegatable oils including peanut, soya, palm, sunflower etc. Other sources include nuts, seeds, whole grains and leafy green vegetables.

Mini - thanks ever so much for this information. I've been doing some reading and wonder if a change of diet might be beneficial. I give him one meal of Burns and another of home cooked meat, veg and rice (+ bonemeal and cod liver oil) or sometimes NatureDiet. I see that amino acids may be destroyed in cooking so perhaps AAcid and vit E supplement (or Flax Seed oil) or even raw.
Thanks for this.