Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:27 am
What happened in my situation was the scute did not shed in its entirety and left pieces at the edge of the scute, near or next to the seams. When they did come off (this happened in 2 different areas), it left a bright, white spot that was slightly recessed... the thickness of a sheet of paper or two.
Mind you, these are small pieces and were very tiny but very visible. Once it came off in one area, it was dark underneath and under closer inspection, there was a small bit of blood. So off to the vet I go, and he doesn't think it's serious. This area has remained dark colored and seems to have healed. I would suspect that a good shed will take care of it. The other spot also had a bit of blood when the vet scraped it off (which I do not recommend you try!). Oddly, a new bone layer developed over that area. Once that came off a month or so, it was dark underneath too. In both these cases, the layer was also very thin... not much thicker than a sheet of paper.
Now, nearly everything instance of exposed bone I've seen or read about on-line has been fairly severe (and somewhat graphic). Most likely in my situation, it was the scute coming off when it was not ready. Either way, it is important to get an accurate diagnosis from a good vet so you can start treatment, if necessary.
