This week, I was asked one of those enduring questions all vets get. The patient was a six-month-old female English pointer named Molly. Molly had orange and white markings with a beautiful high nose that is characteristic of her breed. Molly’s nose is precisely what was bothering her owners.  They thought that her nose was drier than it should be.

The question of whether a dog’s nose should be wet or dry has floated around for many years. There is even a legend about this that hails from biblical times. As the story goes, two dogs on Noah’s Ark were sniffing around when they chanced upon a small hole in the hull that was leaking water. To prevent disaster, one dog stuck its nose into the hole to plug it up, while the other ran to Noah for help. As a reward for their courage, God gave all dogs a wet nose.

Legend apart, the straightforward answer is that a dog’s nose alone cannot be used as a barometer of its health. Indeed, there are several reasons why a dog’s nose is often wet, and just as many that might explain why it is sometimes dry.

Generally speaking, a healthy dog’s nose is cool and moist. The moisture that coats its nose has two primary functions: to smell and to stay cool. A dog’s nose secretes a thin clear film of mucus that absorbs scent chemicals in the air. When the dog licks its nose, the scent-loaded mucus is transferred onto its tongue. Dogs have additional scent and taste receptors that are located on the roof of their mouth. When the dog retracts its tongue, the scented mucus on its tongue comes into contact with the roof of its mouth and it is able to decode the scent.  This also explains why dogs continually lick their nose when they smell food.

A cool, moist nose also means that the dog is sweating efficiently. Unlike humans, dogs do not have the ability to sweat from their face or body. Instead, they sweat from their footpads and noses. So a healthy dog with a moist nose is a dog that is simply regulating its body temperature.

There is also a practical reason as to why dogs’ noses get wet, particularly in the case of dogs with long snouts. In an effort to pick up the multitude of scent messages within their environment, dogs stick their nose into anything that they want to explore, such as grass, leaves and soil. In doing so, their nose gets wet from the environment that they are exploring.

There are also situations where a dog’s nose is naturally dry. Just as our body temperature and hydration levels fluctuate throughout the day, so does a dog’s. For starters, dog’s noses are usually dry while they are asleep. Earlier I mentioned the link between a dog’s need to scent its environment and the licking of its nose to sample the scent-loaded mucus. While your dog is asleep, it won’t be licking its nose, so it becomes naturally dry. Your dog’s nose will generally return to its usual level of moistness within a few minutes of its waking up.

When it is awake, your dog will drink water to maintain a good level of hydration.  If your dog does not have sufficient water to drink, its nose will become dry to preserve water. A dry nose is also very common in winter, as your dog seeks out warm places to stay in, such as right in front of the heater or curled up beside you on the sofa.

There are several reasons why a dog’s nose is often wet, and just as many that might explain why it is sometimes dry

So, all in all, there are many natural reasons to explain the change from moist to dry of a dog’s nose. There are, however, situations where the quality of moistness or dryness of a dog’s nose should alert you that there is something wrong with your dog.

If you know that your dog is sick, then a warm dry nose is symptomatic of your pet being unwell and should be expected. But if you are not aware that there is anything wrong and you start to notice a change in the type of moisture or the texture of its nose, then it’s time to visit your veterinarian.

If the moistness changes from a thin clear film to a nasal discharge, this could mean that your dog has an infection. Nosebleeds, medically known as epistaxis, should never be taken lightly. In Malta, this could be one of the symptoms of leishmaniasis (sand-fly disease) or ehrlichiosis.

It might also be caused by a foreign body has got lodged in the nasal passage.  It can also mean that a nasal polyp has formed, or even a nasal tumour. But while nasal discharges are relatively easy to identify, an unnaturally dry nose may be a symptom of a vast range of underlying conditions.

If the nose develops a crust or becomes scaly, if it starts to crack, if scabs keep coming up, if sores develop on the nose or if it becomes leathery, then something is more than likely to be wrong.

The problem might simply be an allergy.  Your vet will work with you to find out what might be irritating your pet. Rather more seriously but still very common is hypothyroidism where the dog’s nose becomes stiff and leathery. Hypothyroidism is where the thyroid becomes underactive.

With an autoimmune disease called pemphigus vulgaris, the nose and surrounding area will blister and ulcers develop. Similarly, with discoid lupus erythematosus, the nose cracks, develops sores and crusts over, and even loses its colour. Collies, huskies, Brittany spaniels and German shepherds tend to suffer from lupus.

Sometimes nose conditions develop due to a nutritional deficiency. A lack of omega-3 fatty acids in a dog’s diet will result in a persistently dry nose, while an insufficiency of zinc can cause a flaky crusty nose.  Alaskan malamutes, Doberman pinschers and Huskies are prone to this deficiency.

Repeated exposure to the sun can also cause problems and develop into solar nasal dermatitis. The skin that joins the nose to the muzzle will start to peel, then become crusty and weepy. In serious cases, an open sore will develop on the area and skin cancer can develop.

Upon examination, Molly was found to be slightly underweight but otherwise clinically sound. Blood tests, including the screening test for Leishmaniasis and  Ehrlichiosis showed nothing untoward. Following a discussion, Molly’s owners were asked to observe over the next few days whether her nose becomes dry only during certain times of day.

They were also asked to measure her approximate daily water intake and food – both dry and wet. A diminished water intake would prevent Molly from having a healthy appetite and possibly explain the dry nose.

thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com

Dr Martin Debattista is a veterinary surgeon.

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