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I'm sure we've all sat and looked at our bulldogs dry noses and thought how sore and uncomfortable that must be. Fortunately, there are solutions to help you cure your bulldogs dry nose to ensure your dog is as comfortable as possible.
All dog breeds can suffer from a dry nose, however bulldogs are far more prone to their noses being dry. Their inability to lick their noses can be a reason that they are prone to their noses being dry.
The condition, nasal hyperkeratosis, is a more intense form of nasal dryness experienced by some breeds of dogs - bulldogs being one of them.
Why do bulldogs suffer from dry noses?
Brachycephalic dog breeds such as Bulldogs are especially prone to dry, cracked noses.
Bulldogs are prone to suffering from nasal hyperkeratosis. This can be due to their suppressed immune system, which can be a reason that bulldogs are prone to suffering from dry noses.
Common causes for dry noses in bulldogs
There are several common causes that your bulldog may have a dry nose, which are:
Sleeping: Whilst your dog is sleeping, they won't be licking their nose. This will cause your dogs nose to try. Once they wake and lick their nose, it'll return to being wet.
Winter: The winter months can be cruel on your bulldog. The cold air and wind can cause your bulldogs nose to dry out - just as in winter we all suffer from dry, chapped lips.
Age: The older your dog becomes, the drier its nose will become. If you begin to notice that your dogs nose is becoming drier as it get's older, then nose balm can be a great aid to help your bulldog.
Brachycephalic dog breed: Being a Brachycephalic dog breed, the difficult that these dogs have licking their noses can be a cause for your bulldog to have a dry nose.
How to prevent your bulldog's nose from going dry
If your bulldog is often suffering from an uncomfortable, dry nose, then it's time to start thinking about how you can prevent this from happening again. Some great ways to help prevent dry noses for your bulldog are:
Keep your bulldog hydrated: If your bulldog becomes dehydrated, this can be a cause of your dog suffering from a dry nose. Ensure your bulldog has access to fresh, clean water in order to help it stay hydrated
Nose balm: Nose balm is a great way to help keep your bulldogs nose moist and crack free.
Remove potential allergens: Allergies can be a common cause of your bulldog suffering from a dry nose. Ensure you understand what allergens are triggering your dogs dry nose and removing them can be a great prevention.
How to cure a bulldogs dry nose
Shea Butter
Small amounts of Shea Butter can be great for your bulldogs dry and cracked nose. It is great for helping to moisturise, hydrate and sooth your dogs nose skin.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is one of the safest, most effective natural moisturisers. It'll help improve your dogs skin elasticity as well as moisture your dogs skin and help to repair the cracks.
When looking to purchase coconut oil, make sure you pick organic, cold pressed, extra virgin coconut oil that is 100% natural and unprocessed.
Cocoa Seed Butter
You may think that Coca Seed Butter may be harmful to your fur baby - but this isn't true. Cocoa seed butter does not contain the dangerous ingredients that make chocolate toxic to your dog.
Cocoa butter is high in fatty acids, which is why it’s often touted for its ability to hydrate and nourish the skin and improve elasticity. The fat in cocoa butter forms a protective barrier over skin to hold in moisture - which is great for your bulldogs dry nose.
Dog Nose Balm
Dog Nose Balm can be great to help you treat your bulldogs dry and cracked nose, with a lot of nose balms being created directly for bulldogs due to their tendency to suffer from dry and cracked noses.
Conclusion
With bulldogs being a Brachycephalic breed, it is likely that they'll suffer from a dry and cracked nose - however, hopefully we've given you lots of fantastic tips to help you cure your bulldogs cracked nose.
If your bulldog is suffering from a dry nose, we recommend working towards treating it as soon as possible, it can be extremely uncomfortable for your dog and in extreme cases lead to infection.