Tat The Dog?

Our dog, Bear, has had the strangest thing happening to his nose.  The whole winter it has looked as though he has rubbed it raw, complete with sores that scab over.  I have felt horrible about it and feel like a bad "puppy mommy" every time someone says, "oh, his nose looks awful!" 

When Bear was a puppy, he used to dig like crazy and root his nose around the yard like he was was on a mission for the military.  While the digging has ceased, the excessive sniffing has continued.  I was assuming that the colder weather, snow, and his compulsive sniffing was the cause of his nose issue.  I have been putting Aquaphor for on it and even Neosporin in an attempt to heal it.  While the Aquaphor helps it, the condition has not gone away.

Bear on Memorial Day--Before the Breakout

It was time for his annual shots, so yesterday Bear went to the vet and I was hoping we would get some super duper meds for his poor little nose.  What the vet had to say was a little shocking to me. 

It turns out he has an autoimmune disease.  For some reason, sunlight makes the condition worse.  So, the vet's advice?  She suggested tattooing the dog's nose black.  What happened to the super cream I was looking for?  I'm not so sure I am willing to tatoo the dog--I mean, what's next a biker jacket and a Harley?

I think for now, we'll keep applying the Aquaphor and making sure he wears some of the baby's sunscreen when he goes outside.  And I hope this crazy disease does not spread to the rest of his skin!  I'm not sure I could handle that one!