Why does my dog have a dry nose?

Our question this week was:

Dr. Debra – my dog’s nose is very dry? Why does he have a dry nose? Should I worry? Otherwise he acts and seems healthy.

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Sharon B. – Newark NJ

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. You wrote asking, “why does my dog have a dry nose”. Great question – it is a common one. There are several “old wives tales” about the temperature and dryness of a dogs nose and they are just that – tales. A dog’s health is not reflected by his nose dryness or temperature.

If you think about it – some people have dryer skin than others – it may be a reflection of the weather, humidity, exposure to sun or just our genetic make-up. If your dog is otherwise healthy – I would not worry if his nose is dry.

If you want to put something on your dog’s dry nose – you can use a little bit of Vaseline.

A dry nose that changes pigmentation, is dry, cracked or scabbed should be examined by your veterinarian and could indicate some underlying skin disorder. An article that might be helpful to you is Dry Skin in Dogs.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra

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