Why Does My Dog Have a Dry Nose?

There are many urban legends suggesting that when a dog has a dry nose, it's because it's sick or has a fever. We shouldn't pay attention to these legends, since they're not true — a healthy dog's nose also dries out often.

Although there are different reasons our dog's nose can dry out, we shouldn't worry unless it shows wounds, flaking, or prolonged dryness lasting several days. A dog having a dry, cracked nose is completely normal, just as it's normal for it to be wet many other times.

Causes of Dogs' Noses Drying Out

Our dog can have a dry nose for a while and then wet several times a day, or even have it dry more often than wet, with no health problem at all.

There are many factors that can cause our dog to have a dry nose, the most common being:

• Dry air currents or low humidity
• Sunbathing
• Temperature changes
• Being indoors in a home with heating
• Genetic reasons (breeds)
• Illness and/or fever

Any heat source can cause relative air humidity to drop, causing our dog's nose to dry out temporarily. In the same way, sun exposure or air currents can dry it out. This isn't something that should worry us, since it's completely normal.

Some breeds are more prone than others to having a dry nose, but that doesn't mean they're sick or need special care — they're simply like that.

A dog having a fever or being sick can also cause its nose to be dry, though obviously this will come with other symptoms. A dry nose doesn't mean our dog has a fever, although fever can cause its nose to dry out: How to know if a dog has a fever.

Dry and Cracked Dog Nose

A dog's nose shape is very curious, so when it dries out, we can even see it better than when it's wet and shiny. When it dries, the skin on its nose (the tip of a dog's nose is called the nose leather) can look scaly, cracked. This is totally normal and shouldn't worry us unless it's excessively dry, causing wounds (bleeding).

We should only worry and see the vet if:

• The nose shows wounds and/or bleeding due to dryness
• The nose shows swelling
• Our dog is listless, down, or shows any other symptom that could point to an illness and/or fever causing its nose's dryness.

Home Remedies to Moisturize a Dog's Dry Nose

Actually, we shouldn't moisturize it unless the vet has told us to, but if we're so worried we can't sleep.... here are some guidelines to moisturize a dog's nose in emergency cases:

1. Wash its nose with a bit of lukewarm water
2. Apply a little petroleum jelly
3. Avoid heat sources, air currents, etc...

Vet clinics sell special ointments to moisturize our dog's nose, which are very affordable products specially designed so that if the dog licks them, it won't have stomach problems. Remember dogs constantly lick their nose.