schnauzer spit?

mvpelicanpoint · 09-01-2008, 08:49 PM

our 10 1/2 year old silver rescue schnauzer, boo; has just recently started showing red around her mouth, & on her toes (feet), & elbows--basically, it looks like she's starting to rust! she is a "salty dog" (living on our boat in puget sound), but i'm wondering if the ph of her spit maybe has changed due to aging, & is causing this discoloration. no amount of scrubbing cleans it totally off, & she won't stand for it (the scrubbing) anyway...has anyone else seen this in their older dogs? is it something i should be worried about? she just saw her dr about a month ago, & was declared fit, but the rusting started AFTER her dr's visit. no change in diet, exercise regimen, etc since we've had her (7 years). she's not acting differently but refuses to give me a clue why she's starting to rust--i didn't think silver rusted--only cheap stainless steel? any thoughts out there?

Patt · 09-01-2008, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvpelicanpoint

i'm wondering if the ph of her spit maybe has changed due to aging, & is causing this discoloration. no amount of scrubbing cleans it totally off, & she won't stand for it (the scrubbing) anyway...has anyone else seen this in their older dogs? is it something i should be worried about?

I think you are correct, the ph in the saliva does change as they age. Possibly she may be licking her paws etc b/c of allergies and that would "rust" them. You might want to run this by your vet to be sure though.