ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
by Kenny Jarels

I guess my main concern with my Maltese is this, could something be wrong with the bloodlines of my maltese to have these undesirable traits such as having a brown nose, pads are pinkish, and underbite? I am very concerned, however the puppy was AKC registered.

DISCUSSION:

Ken, I don't know about any of these traits, but I do know that Lucy's nose too turns brown in winter but along with spring sunshine, her nose is back to black. This does seem to be a common trait..if you read in the archives you will find a number of posts about this. Sunshine seems to be the element needed to keep the pigment dark. Someone also said something about adding kelp (I think, check in the archives) to the diet, but when I asked how much/how often, I got no reply. Hope this at least answers one of your questions.
-cathy brown

I do not have any dogs with brown noses, but there are alot of posts saying that the sunlite will darken it. The underbite, you need to discuss with your vet. I do not have any with an underbite, but I know in Humans it can cause a jaw problem in adult years. The pink pad on the feet, to me, just means that they don't meet the standard, and if your puppy is a pet, I don't think this would matter. If you are unhappy with your puppy you should talk to the breeder. I have a money back guarantee on my puppies, and it is for any reason. I want my clients to be happy with their puppies, as I know all good breeders do. I would not breed this puppy as these traits would carry on to the puppies, but as a pet, I would only research the bite problem.
-Marsha A.