Worried about my dogs nose temperature?

Alfasudcrazy

I notice that the noses on both my dobies are usually cold and mostly moist which is what I consider normal. But my collie's nose is warm and dry. In fact it is almost hot to the touch.

I have been trying to research on the net what the cause of this might be but it is not very helpful. I have often heard it is bad to have a dogs nose hot and dry.

Is this just a myth or could my dog be sick?

I know the vet is the answer but I am anxious to know what you all think?

Yellow Snow

Has your dogs nose always been dry and hot to touch? If yes you probably have nothing to worry about. I know a few dogs who have very dry noses all the time but they are as healthy as the next dog. If the nose has only become hot recently though get to the vets straight away. Infact, if in any doubt just go get him checked out, it will put your mind at ease.

I found this article you may find useful too...

"people throughout history have believed that if a dog’s nose is dry, then the pet is sick. They thought that the main sign of a healthy dog is a good wet, sloppy nose. This simply is not true. A wet nose simply means that the air is plenty humid. Just like anything else, when it’s humid outside, your dog’s nose gets wet. If the weather is overly dry, so will be your dog’s nose.

Another misconception is that you can tell how your dog is feeling by touching its nose. If your dog’s nose is hot, then it might have a fever. But if it’s cool, it’s feeling just fine. But this is not accurate. Again, a dog’s nose temperature changes based on the environment. If it’s warm where your dog is, your dog’s nose will be warm. If it’s cold, your dog’s nose will be colder."

Alfasudcrazy

Thanks yellow snow. It may be due to the environment temperature all right as the dobies with their thin coat are more sensitive to cold than the thick haired collie.
While the dobies run to their dog house as soon as the night chill arrives - I find the collie still siting comfortably outside gazing at the stars.:rolleyes:

But I might get her checked over by the vet just in case.

Yellow Snow

As long as he gets lots of water and a balanced diet he'll be fine. But like i said, if this is only a recent thing get him seen to as he could be running a high temperature. Personally i'd be more worried if the nose was overly wet or runny... that indicates a lot more potential problems than a dry nose.

Let us know how you get on if you do go to the vets with him.

Sigma Force

As far as I know it's an old wives tale just like if your hands were cold or warm depending on how exposed they were to the elements etc. It's only if your dog has runny discharge from the nose that would be a sign of illness. Dogs noses vary from dry to wet throughout the day it's perfectly normal.