DISEASES OF THE NASAL PLANUM

The most common clinical sign for owners to seek veterinary care in re ference to the nasal planum is depigmentation in dogs and ulceration i n cats. Proliferative (nodular) diseases are less common in dogs than in cats, because cats are more prone to develop squamous cell carcinom a of the nasal planum. Because a wide variety of diseases may present with similar clinical signs, the most helpful diagnostic test (after a thorough history and physical examination) is a skin biopsy. Discoid lupus erythematosus is the most common disease affecting the nasal pla num of dogs in the author's practice.