| If you thought dog noses were just a source of | | | | health, be sure to check with your vet! |
| smeary prints on your windows, think again! | | | | =======Why Dog Noses are hard to fool======== |
| ========How Nose Prints save dog's lives====== | | | | We know that dogs have traditionally been used for |
| Nose prints are used to identify dogs in the same way | | | | tracking, search and rescue due to their keen sense of |
| finger prints are used to identify human beings. | | | | smell. |
| Breeders and trainers keep a dog's nose prints on file | | | | A dog's sense of smell is about 40,000 times better |
| as part of its permanent record and insurance | | | | than ours, and that's not all. You can't throw a dog off |
| companies now require them whenever a dog is to be | | | | by "covering up" one smell with another. A study was |
| bonded. At one time paw prints were used as a | | | | done in which a number of different objects were |
| means of canine identification, but these proved less | | | | sprayed with skunk odor, and trained tracking dogs |
| accurate than noses. And while some owners have | | | | were still able to distinguish the objects from each |
| had microchips "installed" in their pets, these are more | | | | other! So forget about trying to fool Fido! |
| invasive and can be detected and removed. If you dog | | | | Here's another intriguing story about the dog's famous |
| is ever lost or stolen, having his nose print on record | | | | sense of smell: A yellow lab named Parker wasn't a |
| could save his life! | | | | trained "nose dog", but liked to sniff everything, all the |
| ======Why Dog Noses are Wet======= | | | | time. Then he began to constantly sniff a blemish on |
| Why are dog noses wet? Fluid from the lateral glands | | | | his owner's leg, which had been there for a number of |
| in a dog's nose lubricates the outsides of his nostrils | | | | years. The dog was pushing his nose hard into the |
| and makes them moist and shiny. But mostly, the nose | | | | area, and really concentrating. So, the owner decided |
| stays wet because your dog is always licking it (along | | | | to have it looked at. The skin specialist immediately |
| with other parts). So, a moist nose has generally been | | | | detected the early signs of skin cancer, and ordered |
| considered as a healthy nose, but this isn't always true. | | | | the blemish removed immediately. Once the lesion was |
| For example, if a dog falls asleep in a hot place, his | | | | gone, Parker lost interest in the leg! Similar stories have |
| nose may be dry when he first wakes up. Once he | | | | reportedly led doctors in the US to train dogs to "sniff |
| cools down and has a little Gatorade (kidding!) -- I | | | | out" skin cancer. Apparently, dogs can detect skin |
| mean, gets rehydrated, his nose will soon look wet | | | | cancer long before any conventional methods can!! |
| again. | | | | More recently, dogs have been given urine samples |
| Distemper can permanently alter the nasal glands. So, | | | | from cancer victims to see if they can also smell |
| a dog who suffers from distemper early in life may | | | | bladder and prostate cancer. The results have been |
| have a perpetually dry nose. | | | | promising. |
| =======Why Dog Noses are Cold======= | | | | ======Fun with Dog Noses======= |
| Cold normally goes along with wet, which I heard has | | | | There are only a few websites that devote |
| something to do with convection cooling, or some such | | | | themselves entirely to this quirky topic, but they're |
| law of physics, which I've long forgotten. So, if a dog's | | | | always worth a visit if you're a fan of "the nose". |
| nose dries out (see above), it will feel warm to the | | | | They're loads of fun--a real nose full! |
| touch. This is OK, as long as the nose gets wet again. | | | | Try searching for "dog noses" on eBay. I did, and found |
| However, a chronically dry nose could be sign of illness | | | | a cute rubber dog nose mask complete with whiskers |
| and should be seen by a vet. | | | | for a couple of bucks! |
| Note: if you have concerns about your dog's nose and | | | | |