Q: Our white Labrador suffers from sunburn on his nose. The problem is, the moment we apply sunscreen, he licks the area until there is most probably nothing left. What should we do?
A: This is a big problem in all white animals. The best would be to keep him out of the sun for the majority of the day (easier said than done I know). What can help is if you apply the sunblock and then distract him with a game of fetch or whatever else he enjoys, like giving him his meal. This will give the sunblock time to be absorbed and hopefully he will forget to lick it off. The sunblock should also be applied regularly during the day, not just once-off.
Dr Vanessa Mcclure, veterinarian
