# Sun Tan!!??



## tonysmom (Jul 19, 2005)

We've moved into a brand new home with lots of windows and lots of sunshine for Tony to lay in. His tummy used to be a nice pink color. Now it's light brown with pink patches and freckles. We've had two weeks of bitter cold weather and I thought the "tan" would go away with the lack of sun and he'd be nice and pink again. 

Tony is a white chi with green eyes and a tan nose. We spent every weekend at the lake this last summer and he spent lots of time in the sun. He sunburned a couple of times(not very bad) and we keep baby sun block on him and a light t-shirt. Still I don't remember him ever getting a tan.

Is this something I should worry about? Will his nice pink tummy ever return?
It looks funny. I don't want the other dogs to point and laugh at him!


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## Ms_P (Apr 25, 2004)

You didn't say how old he is. I do know that puppys and young dogs skin can darken naturally. 
When one of my chis had demodex and lost her hair, I kept t-shirts on her to keep her from getting sunburned but the shirt didn't cover all of her back and she ended up with a tan line across her hips. Once her hair grew back in the "tan" eventually went away.

I have a white chi also and her skin is mostly pink with some darker spots, but she's got a lot of hair and doesn't lay on her back much. She's a long coat.

I would just keep an eye on it for any signs of irritation and if you are really concerned take him to the vet.


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## foxywench (Feb 7, 2005)

it sounds like naturally occuring pigment change.
in which case no its not the sun and its very unlikley that the pink will come back, enjoy the freckles there adorable.


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## Pauline Leland (Oct 9, 2006)

I don't think people can get a tan through window glass. Some critical rays are blocked. I didn't know dogs could tan, but I doubt Tony's freckles are from the sun. He's just naturally cute.


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## Krista (Dec 29, 2005)

If it's "bitter cold" then I'm guessing it's winter there, in which case it's impossible that he'd have a tan. The uv index has to be at least at medium strength (5-6) to change the melanin in your skin (and even then it wouldn't be much change because that's still fairly low), and if it were at medium it wouldn't be cold  It'd be fairly warm. In the winter the uv index is usually around 1. So it's just natural pigment change in his skin. Even if it were summer, I'm pretty sure dogs don't even tan the way we do. They have other methods of protecting their skin.


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## Ms_P (Apr 25, 2004)

*krista* said:


> If it's "bitter cold" then I'm guessing it's winter there, in which case it's impossible that he'd have a tan. The uv index has to be at least at medium strength (5-6) to change the melanin in your skin (and even then it wouldn't be much change because that's still fairly low), and if it were at medium it wouldn't be cold  It'd be fairly warm. In the winter the uv index is usually around 1. So it's just natural pigment change in his skin. Even if it were summer, I'm pretty sure dogs don't even tan the way we do. They have other methods of protecting their skin.


Krista, I'm afraid you are misinformed. Dogs can tan and even get sun poisoning. Do some research on the hairless dogs and you will see that they need to take extra care of their dogs skin in the summer.

Also the reason we don't get tans in the winter is because we have our bodies covered from trying to keep warm.


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## tonysmom (Jul 19, 2005)

Thanks for all of the information. Tony will be three (3) this July 4th, so it's not a puppy thing. And, it's not that the freckles are ugly, I just miss his little pink tummy. So I guess as long as he doesn't get too hot, I'll let him "sun bathe".


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## Krista (Dec 29, 2005)

Ms_P said:


> Also the reason we don't get tans in the winter is because we have our bodies covered from trying to keep warm.


Now that I do know to be incorrect. You can't tan at all with the uv index so low. Try staying out for a while and see if your face tans, it most likely won't at all. The uv index needs to be at least 5 to cause your skin to tan (usually). I may not know for certain about dogs tanning (which I said in my last post) but I do know quite a bit about how people tan  I've spent entire days outside in the winter snowboarding (in a t-shirt nonetheless on the warmer days) and never once have I gotten even close to a slight tan.


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## canadiandawn (Jan 11, 2006)

My two cents. I've seen many many people come home from a day of skiing and have the sunburn on their face with the goggles outline. I would think that you wouldn't get a good tan right away but if you were doing that on a regular basis, that it would eventually turn into a tan.


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## Krista (Dec 29, 2005)

Yeah I've gotten that too ... that is wind/cold burn. It's wierd, but you get it quite a bit from skiing all day. Not the same as sun burn though.

Of course tanning is also dependent on your skin sensitivity too ... red headed people are most sensitive, and can tan even when it's low ... sort of.


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## snowflakechi (Feb 16, 2006)

dogs and other animals no only can get burnt or tanned but they can get skin cancer as well. they make sunscreen for dogs, if your pet is going to be in the sun that much i recommend it.


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## Alisha (Mar 11, 2005)

2 things I have melsama it causes me to get brown blotches on my face in the sun & do get them on the coldest days without sunscreen on. Not that we have alot of cold days here :lol: Secondly my hubby was skiing in Colorado last year & got the worst burn on his nose it blistered & actually scared him into wearing suncreen. So maybe you can't really tan in winter but if you get too much sun it can cause problems even in winter. 

Back to the original subject Mia had a beautiful pink tummy & it's now all brown spotted it just happens as they grow just like Bellas nose turned from black to pink.


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## Krista (Dec 29, 2005)

Yeah Yoshi's nose used to be black too ... now it's a pinky brown. Her neck has freckles too ... but they're reverse freckles, if you know what I mean. I think it looks pretty neat ^_^


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## foxywench (Feb 7, 2005)

yeah dogs do tan, however unless there laying on the back to expose the tumy for rather long period its not realy going to tan like that.
however you do have to be carefull (especialy with light coloured dogs) if there outside alot that the nose and ears dont burn. Hairless breeds should use sunscreen!

i burn very easily, i do SUN burn in the winter, but it might be because im a natural redhead. and because of it im spf 35 during the winter, during the summer im on medicated sunscreen because i burn so easily.
it was always explained to me that skiers do get sunburnt and it gets so bad because the uv rays are reflected off the snow. but tanning isnst a subject im good at, i just turn birght red then go white again lol.

i wouldnt however worry about him getting tanned through a window, the glas tends to disrupt the rays that cause the tan if i rember my science properly...


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## dolly'sgrandma (Nov 8, 2005)

I get sunburned through my car's windows...and they are 
"city-tinted". My left arm is always darker because of that.

My vet told me dogs absolutely can get skin cancer. Our border is a merle, with a lot of white, and he had pink skin around his eyes and on his nose when he was a pup. She told us to keep him OUT of the sun. His nose is black now...so it all does change.


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