Why Do Dog Noses Get Cold and Wet?

You may have heard that feeling a dog's nose can provide important information about its health, but what exactly do your pup's nose's warmth and moisture indicate?

 Not much, in actuality. The nose of a healthy dog may be warm and dry. A dog who is ill could have a chilly, runny nose. Learn why a dog's nose is frequently wet and what symptoms may point to a health issue.

Why Do Dog Noses Get Cold and Wet?

Dogs lick their noses to keep them moist and cool. Some hypothesize that nose moisture enhances odors as a holdover from dogs' more savage past when they had ultra-sensitive noses to locate food, delineate territory, and establish bonds with mates. 

Others contend that the extra moisture aids in controlling body temperature. Dogs do not perspire, so the evaporative cooling process might actually help them relax.

A Dry Nose: What Does It Mean?

A dog's nose will often be dry after a nap or a night's sleep. Because they don't lick their noses when they sleep, dogs' noses naturally dry out a little bit. Due to the lack of evaporative cooling, a dryer nose may also feel warmer.

A dog's dry or heated nose may occasionally be a sign of trouble. The heated dryness of your dog's nose may be present in conjunction with other symptoms of sickness, such as:

• Lethargy
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fever

Regardless of how your dog's nose feels, these symptoms call for a trip to the doctor.

When Is a Dog's Nose Out of the Ordinary?

Although the temperature and moisture of a dog's nose are not reliable indicators of illness, the nose's surface may exhibit warning signs. Make an appointment with your veterinarian as soon as you become aware of any of the symptoms below.

Symptoms

Skin thickening on the nose due to hyperkeratosis

Bleeding, sores, or redness

color shift

Nasal dripping

warm nose

Hyperkeratosis

According to some specialists, the canine distemper virus, which can result in hyperkeratosis (thickening) of the nose and footpads, is the cause of the sickly dog nose myth. 

Prior to vaccinations, when canines were more susceptible to distemper, a cool, wet nose was a sign that the illness was absent. Still not normal, hyperkeratosis needs to be examined by a veterinarian.

Inflammation, sores, or bleeding

Redness, open sores, scabs, or bleeding can be an indication of both small issues like an abrasion or cat scratch and big ones like specific types of cancer or autoimmune disorders like discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), a cutaneous variant of lupus. 

Color shift

Pemphigus, an autoimmune condition, can produce patches of red skin on the nose that turn into blisters and open sores, and the color of the nose may also alter. 

While not all changes in nose color are harmful, those that are accompanied by changes in skin texture are warning signs of sickness. 

NOSE DISEASE

A dog's nose may occasionally leak a tiny amount of clear fluid, but this is unimportant. However, something is not right if the liquid turns profuse, bloody, or yellowish-green in color.

Fever

The nose of your dog may be extremely hot if it is feverish or overheated as a result of oppressive environmental conditions. 

When in doubt, check your dog's temperature with a rectal thermometer or consult your veterinarian to make sure it is within a healthy range.