It’s one of the oldest of old wives’ tales that feeling how wet or dry your dog’s nose is can tell you almost everything you need to know about your best friend’s health; but is it true?
The short answer is no. In fact, there is little evidence that there is any correlation whatsoever between the moistness of your dog’s nose and his or her health. The temperature and moistness of dogs’ noses can change dramatically from day to day and hour to hour depending on their environment, what they’ve been doing, what they’ve been smelling, and where they’ve been sticking their nose! Whilst a dry nose could indicate your dog is dehydrated, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s sick.
So if its purpose is not to tell me how my dog is feeling, why does their nose get so wet? There are several interesting reasons:
- Mucus: Yuck! Why? This is one of the things that gives your dog its great sense of smell! Dogs’ noses produce and secrete a mucus which allows them to absorb the scents around them.
- Licking: Your dog is always licking its nose. This helps keep it clean and also allows your dog to taste the glorious scents the nose mucus has collected.
- Temperature control: Most dog owners love showing off their trivia knowledge that dogs don’t sweat but rather pant in order to cool down. This is almost There are 2 places a dog can sweat from to release heat; paws and nose!