Any dog experts or vets that can answer this????

Question

Ok, I'm wanting to know why dogs noses are wet and dry. I always thought that when they were wet, they were healthy and if they were dry, they were sick...But, the other day I read in a book that that has nothing to do with it, a dogs nose is only wet becuase he/she licks it...but today I asked my vet that and he told me that both of those are wrong, that dogs have 2 sweat glands in their bodies, ones in their paw pads and ones in their noses. He told me that when a dog is hot, his nose with sweat, and when a dog is cool and comfortable, his nose is dry. Anyone know what the real answer is????

Answer 1

a dog's ability to heat up and cool down is regulated by a much different mechanism than people. notice if you put a nervous dog on a steel table, there are sweaty paw prints everywhere......that's how dogs (and cats) cool off. same with their nose! the wet/dry nose is an old wive's tale and really has no medical merit. the only way to truly tell if a dog is suffering from a fever or other ailment is to first verify rectal temperature and then other simple diagnostics such as fecal tests or bloodwork. a dog's nose is simply another part of the excretion system. don't worry, a wet or dry nose is nothing to be concerned about. your vet is right

Answer 2

I have owned several dogs and have always been told the same thing. I have never heard of sweat glands in the paws and in the nose before??? From past experiences when the nose is wet then they are healthy and when its dry/warm they are ill. I normally use childrens liquid aspirin on my pets when that occurs. They seem to be fine the next day. I`m not a vet just a pet owner.

Answer 3

Although most people say a healthy nose should be "cold and wet," it is actually more appropriate to describe it as moist. A wet, runny nose is a sign of trouble and should be checked out by a veterinarian. By the way, a normal moist nose doesn't always mean a dog is healthy; if your dog has a moist nose but seems lethargic, or in discomfort or pain, consult your vet.

Conversely, a dry nose doesn't always signal illness. Dogs just waking from sleep often have a warm, relatively dry nose. And, some dogs, like bulldogs, just have dry noses that even chap and crack.

Despite what many people think, you cannot determine your dog's temperature by feeling his nose. A warm nose does not mean your dog has a fever. Only a properly used thermometer can tell you that. So remember, if your dog shows discomfort, lethargy or loss of appetite, you'll need to have your local vet examine him, regardless of the condition of his nose.

If you see a nasal discharge, swelling, or detect unpleasant odors emanating from your dog's nose, or if he has difficulty breathing, get him checked out right away. It could mean the presence of a foreign object, tumor or infection.

Your vet is correct regarding the two glands.

Answer 4

Generally this is accepted that a wet dog nose is a symptom of good health; humidity is produced, mainly, in the lateral nasal glands of the nose making the nose damp and shiny. However, dehydrated dogs, though healthy, will have a dry nose, cause the body reacts reducing the liquid production. A dog sitting in a hot place may also have a dry nose temporarily. Besides, a dog recovered from distemper at an early age, may have a dry nose permanently.

Answer 5

For starters, dogs' noses aren't always wet. Sometimes they're dry, sometimes they're runny, sometimes they're scaly. Most of the time, though, a bright, happy dog will continually lick his nose (and you, the air, and his private parts; it's not like they're discriminating) and so the nose is wet. When the dog isn't feeling well, he tends not to lick his nose, and the nose is dry. This is not a direct correlation, however, and does not mean that dry noses equal fevers. The brachycephalic breeds (bulldogs, Bostons, pugs, also known as the snorty ones) have noses set so high on their muzzles that they can't reach them with their tongues and thus the noses tend to become cracked and dry on top. The nose, known to its friends as the nasal planum, is unique in the dog in that it lacks apocrine sweat glands, as do the footpads. The footpads do have eccrine sweat glands, which is why nervous dogs and cats leave sweaty little footprints everywhere.

Answer 6

I am no expert or anything, but I have always heard that dogs do not sweat. The way they cool themselves off is by panting. I do think that a wet nose means the dog is healthy.

Answer 7

well i always thought the real answer was that when the dogs nose is wet they are happy and when its dry they are sick.

Answer 8

i have no idea what the right answer is but apparently its normal that ur dogs nose is wet or dry.

Answer 9

Your vet is right and if you have any doubts about something you read in a book ask your vet they would know best that's what they went to school for 7 years for so they should know

Answer 10

the answer is when it licks its nose it is wet it when it doesn't it is dry