[ampersat]

One of the pack has this going on. It's hard to see since it's covered in dirt, but maybe that's the problem. He's always sticking his nose into something and that something is mostly dirt. That shiny black part on his nose is the only part that's shiny and flat. The rest of it is dry and bristly, giving the appearance that it's swollen. I've tried washing the dirt off but that doesn't seem to help. It doesn't seem to bother him but it bothers me. Is this normal or is it worth a trip to the vet?

 

[GSD]

A couple things that can cause a "dry nose" in dogs are, dehydration or high body temperature.
Of course there are more medical reasons but I'll leave those to the veterinarians.

Bill {GSD}

FYI: An adult dog body temperature is 100 to 102.5 degrees F (rectal)

 

[fishkisser]

I have seen fungal intrusions look like that ...go see your vet , it will give you piece of mind at least . Your dog would do that and more for you if your nose was funky...:wave: Barney

 

[kayakfisher]

Often the kicker is in the details.. most of which are lacking. I would bring this up next time you are in a vet clinic.... and they will undoubtedly have some talking about when, how long, etc this has been there.

Send me a pm if you like and give me a phone number and we can talk...about the details that are lacking in your note.

Mike, dvm (not a skin expert however...)


One of the pack has this going on. It's hard to see since it's covered in dirt, but maybe that's the problem. He's always sticking his nose into something and that something is mostly dirt. That shiny black part on his nose is the only part that's shiny and flat. The rest of it is dry and bristly, giving the appearance that it's swollen. I've tried washing the dirt off but that doesn't seem to help. It doesn't seem to bother him but it bothers me. Is this normal or is it worth a trip to the vet?[/quote]

 

[kayakfisher]

pm sent.

Mike

 

[julezilla]

Could be the result of being sunburned, too. I've noticed nose issues with my doggies during the summer when they're outside more that I don't see during the winter. Definitely worth mentioning to the vet.

 

[kayakfisher]

All true... it could be many things. Morphologically speaking it looks like "hyperkeratosis"... which means a thickening of the outer cells of the nose skin... that is not a diagnosis, just a morphological description... and could indeed be due to sun exposure, physical irritation, certain autoimmune disorders (less common but not unheard of), certain exotic problems not worth going into in the pacific nw, hypothroidism, certain genetic predispositions... and others.

The treatment would depend on the cause of course....

M.

Could be the result of being sunburned, too. I've noticed nose issues with my doggies during the summer when they're outside more that I don't see during the winter. Definitely worth mentioning to the vet.

 

[ampersat]

Thanks for the info all. I think I'll start by keeping it clean and trying to keep it moisturized. One thing that kayakfisher (thanks KF!) sent me indicated that bag balm, vitamin A or something similar could be applied as a moisturizer. Not so sure about the bag balm because I don't know what's in it but vitamin A should be fine, right?

 

[[email protected]]

A, or E? I would think breaking open capsules of E would be good, but bag balm is amazing and pretty natural stuff, too. But, dog noses are so sensitive... I don't know. E would be my first choice.