Sun Damage is a Problem for Pets

Sun Damage is a Problem for Pets

Sun damage is associated with skin problems in cats and dogs.

Animals with white fur and pink skin are most at risk because their skin has little or no pigment.

For white cats (and cats with white patches) the most common problem is sun damage to the ears, the white hairless area on the nose and the eyelids. Sun damage over the years causes subtle changes. These may progress to what seems like non healing scabs or scratches on the tips of the ears, the nose or eyelids. These may then go on to become squamous cell carcoma - a skin cancer which can cause ulceration of the nose, eyelids and ears. Treatment often involves surgery. Advanced disease especially of the nose is quite confronting to look at images are not included in this article. You may have noticed the odd white cat with stunted ear flaps. It is very likely they were surgically removed to treat squamous cell carcinoma.

Crusting scabs on the ear tips are squamous cell carcinoma.

There are treatments which can successfully treat squamous cell carcinoma especially if the issue is noted when the changes are subtle. If you notice scabs on your white cat's ears or a small wound on their pink nose or pink eyelids which doesn’t heal quickly have your vet check it out. If there are ulcers or obvious lesions on the ears, nose, eyelids or skin between the ear and eye, this needs prompt attention.

Early lesion on the skin above the nose and also on sparsely haired skin between the ear and eye.

White dogs are susceptible to sun damage. The area most commonly affected area is the belly and the inside of the hindlegs where the skin is pink and the haircoat is thin. Dogs who like to lie on their back in the sun are more at risk. Sun damage causes skin changes, not unlike older people with fair skin who grew up when sunscreen wasn't a thing.

The affected skin becomes thickened, red and rougher. You may see blackheads, crusts, ulcers, blood-blister-like growths and infection. These skin changes are not reversible and may progress to developing skin cancers particularly squamous cell carcinoma and cutaneous (of the skin) haemangiosarcoma.

The picture above is a more severe case. You can see how the white skin is thickened and the black pigmented areas are unaffected in panel C. They are the areas of normal skin. The yellow arrows point to cutaneous (of the skin) haemangisarcomas.

Dogs may get sun damage on the bridge of their nose if they have white skin. Some may develop a localised immune mediated disease on the top of their nose at the junction with the thicker black skin which covers the nose. This is called discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE).

The take home message for pets with white fur and pink skin is that sun protection is important, ideally to prevent these issues in the first place but also for their management.

Keeping your pet out of the sun in the hotter parts of the day (between 10am and 4pm especially in the warmer months) makes the most difference. There are suits available for dogs and sunscreen can be used on cats ears and the belly and top of the nose of dogs.

Sunscreen is ideally applied more every 2-3 hours between 10am and 4pm in the summer months which is not always practical and it may not be a solution for pets that lick it off.

Two sunscreens available for pets are Vetpro Sunblock Powder and Demoscent Sunfree.

Sunsuit for dogs can be found on the the Bromelli website. They do look a little odd at first glance but if they prevent chronic sun damage in dogs with white bellies they are worth it. Let's face it, dogs aren't so bothered about their image.