What does a dog’s dry nose mean?

Quite often, situations arise when dog owners do not seek the help of a veterinarian for a long time and lose precious time because they focus on the condition of the nose or “comfort” themselves with the fact that the dog’s nose is wet and postpone a visit to the clinic.

How is it really?

A healthy dog’s nose can be both dry and wet. Also, in a sick dog, the nose can be wet (moist) or dry. Thus, to draw conclusions about the state of health of a dog, considering only the moisture content of the nose, is fundamentally wrong!

Why is a dog’s nose wet?

Dogs learn about the world around them with the help of their nose, while they use it not only for smell, but simply as a tactile organ. That is, they practically “feel” everything with their nose. Dogs often lick their nose, which helps to better analyze odors and clean the skin of the nasal mirror from various adhering particles.

A healthy dog’s nose may be dry in the following situations:

• During or immediately after sleep;
• If it is very warm or even hot outside or indoors;
• If the dog just rarely licks his nose;
• If the dog ran and played a lot on a walk and did not drink enough water;
• Dogs of brachycephalic breeds, such as pugs, boxers, and bulldogs, may have trouble licking their nose due to the shortened front of the skull. This can lead to excessive drying of the skin of the nose and even to the formation of crusts. Usually this problem is solved with the help of additional care.

If you suspect that something is wrong with the dog and you need to make a decision whether or not you need to contact a veterinarian, then you should focus not on the condition of the nose, but on the general well-being of the dog and the presence of other symptoms.

If you suddenly find that the dog has a dry nose, but at the same time it is active and behaves as usual, does not refuse food and water, then you should not worry. But if the dog does not want to eat, sleeps all the time or does not want to move, feels hotter than usual to the touch, or has such obvious symptoms as vomiting, diarrhea, any other deviations from the normal normal state of the pet, then you should not focus on whether the nose is wet or dry. Instead, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Photo: Collection / iStock

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For a more detailed study of the problem, we recommend contacting a specialist.

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August 27 2018

Updated: August 28, 2018