There are many urban legends that suggest that when a dog has a dry nose it is because he is sick or has a fever. We must ignore these legends since they are not real, the nose of a healthy dog also dries on many occasions.
Although there are different reasons why our dog’s nose stays dry, we should not worry unless it presents wounds, scales or prolonged dryness for days. That a dog has a dry and cracked nose is something completely normal, just as it is normal that it also has a wet one on many occasions.
Why is my dog’s nose dry?
Our dog can have a dry nose for a while and then wet for several times a day, even having it dry for longer than wet, without any health problems.
There are many factors that can cause our dog to have a dry nose, the most common are these:
- Dry or low humidity air currents
- Sunbathe
- Temperature changes
- Being inside a house with heating
- Genetic reasons (races)
- Illness and / or fever
Any source of heat can cause the relative humidity level in the air to decrease, causing our dog’s nose to become dry at times. In the same way that exposure to the sun or drafts can dry it. It is not something that should worry us as it is completely normal.
Some breeds are more likely than others to have a dry nose, but that does not mean that they are sick or that they need special care, they are just like that.
A dog that has a fever or is sick can also cause its nose to be dry, although it will obviously be accompanied by other symptoms. A dry nose does not mean that our dog has a fever, although fever can cause his nose to dry: How to tell if a dog has a fever.
My dog’s nose is dry and cracked
The morphology of a dog’s nose is very curious, so that when it dries we can appreciate it even better than when it is wet and shiny. As it dries, it appears that the skin on your nose (the tip of the dog’s nose is called truffle) looks flaky, chapped. It is something totally normal that we should not worry about unless it is excessively dry causing wounds (bleeding).
We should only worry and go to a vet if:
- The nose / truffle presents wounds and / or bleeding due to dryness
- The nose / truffle is swollen
- If our dog is down, discouraged or shows any other symptoms that can contrast with any illness and / or fever that causes dry nose.
Home remedies to hydrate a dog’s dry nose
Actually we should not hydrate it unless the vet has told us to, but if we are so concerned that we cannot sleep…. Here are some guidelines for hydrating a dog’s nose in emergencies:
- Wash your nose with a little warm water
- Apply a little petroleum jelly
- Avoid sources of heat, drafts, etc …
In veterinary clinics they sell special ointments to hydrate the nose / truffle of our dog, they are very cheap products and specially designed so that if the dog licks them, it does not have stomach problems. Remember that dogs constantly lick their truffles.
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