Why Your Dog’s Nose Changes Color During Maine Winters: Is It Serious?

Have you ever noticed your doggo's nose changing colors out of nowhere? I'm not talking about weird colors like yellow or green, but have you ever noticed it looking more brown than usual? There's actually a reason for that.

New England winters, especially here in Portland, Maine, can get bone-chilling cold, and it's hard to tell if our pups are used to it or not.

So I've got a three-year-old golden doodle named Maverick, and one of my favorite parts about his face is his perfectly round, perfectly black-colored nose. It's his famous boop.

Here, I'll show you my Mav (aka Top Gun dog), because who doesn't love a good serotonin hit from a good boy? NOTE how perfect his nose is before I show you the photo following this one:

However, lately I've noticed that his booper has slightly changed to a lighter brown color which, as a helicopter mom, concerned me at first.

This is what it looks like right now:

One of the first tell-tale signs of a pup being sick is a change in behavior, and he's still running around, happy as can be. Every thought ran through my head. "Is he sick? is he just getting older? is it trying to tell me to take him to the vet?" Turns out, all of those assumptions were wrong.

Why does my dog's nose change color?

It's called "winter nose", and it is way more common than you might have thought. Rover explains,

"This type of hypopigmentation is temporary and usually occurs during the cold months—in fact, it also goes by the name “winter nose.” Your dog's nose should regain pigment when the weather starts to warm up, so it'll become dark once again"

So, don't be alarmed if this is happening to your pup. It's not harmful, and it doesn't typically mean anything is wrong. Rover also explains,

"This color change may show up as spots on their nose or a stripe of pink down the center. It generally happens as the days get colder and doesn’t pose any cause for concern. Dogs of any breed may experience this seasonal color change"

 

Which dog breeds are most likely to experience seasonal color change, aka 'winter nose'?

As Rover.com explains, lots of pups might experience boop color changes depending on the season, but you're most likely to see it happening with Siberian Huskies, Golden Retrievers, and Labrador Retrievers.