When they're sick. cats and dogs often exhibit a dry nose as one of their more obvious symptoms. However, a dry nose can occur for perfectly normal reasons as well. Most likely, you're well versed in your own pet's patterns of health and wellness, so if the condition of its nose has changed, it's time to take a look at what might be going on with your pet's health.

In a dog, dry nose conditions are common for short periods due to the sun, heaters, or upon waking. If the dog's nose is dry for an extended period of time, this might indicate that your pet is dehydrated, suffering from allergies, or sunburned. A cold or other infection could cause a dry nose, but the presence of unusual mucous is a more likely indicator of disease. For any dog, dry nose treatment can be as simple as increasing his water intake, adding omega-3 fatty acid supplements to his diet, or eliminating allergens, plastics, and excess sun exposure.

Cat dry nose findings are harder to take much meaning from. A cat's nose is often either wet or dry throughout the same day, with a dry nose not necessarily indicating any kind of illness. On the other hand, if you see odd mucous forming in or around the cat's nose, then that is a more obvious symptom of disease. Similarly, if your cat's nose is constantly dry and scaly, this could be the result of an infection or feline skin condition.