We can say that dogs see the world through their sense of smell and, precisely for this reason, the snout can become a of the most exposed areas of the entire can. Whether to find food scraps on the ground, socialize with other congeners or detect prey, its snout is permanently in "conflict zones".
All dog owners have seen at some time how our animal constantly rubs the area near the nose. For this reason, our site offers you a summary of some of the main reasons that explain why your dog scratches his nose a lot
Allergies that cause itchy snout
Surely the arrival of spring triggers this behavior in many allergic puppies but, on other occasions, it can appear throughout the year. It all depends on what is causing our dog's allergy and, therefore, an intense scratching of the nose, in addition to other parts of the body, or exclusively in it at the beginning.
- When there is pollen allergy, this nose-scratching behavior may be accompanied by sneezing, nasal discharge (rhinorrhea) and, surely, an inflammation of the eyelids and/or conjunctivitis. Sometimes the lips can become inflamed, either because our dog has been in close contact with the allergen, such as a kind of grass, or because it is very sensitive to them. Corticosteroid therapy is usually required to stop the intense itching and keep it away from grassy areas, especially during mowing.
- In the case of dust mite allergy, it is also very common to observe that the dog scratches his nose a lot and, especially everything, the characteristic movement of "grabbing" with the front legs. It also usually appears together with ocular signs and, although corticosteroids may be necessary at specific times, we will have no choice but to prevent our dog from contacting the farinae (dust mite). Avoiding carpets, cushions, blankets, not letting it get under the beds, meticulously vacuuming the house daily and cleaning the furniture with damp cloths will have to become a routine. We usually notice that our dog does not insist on scratching his nose when he goes out, but when he returns home, we detect that behavior again, when he comes into contact with the dust present in homes.
- Contact allergy: if our dog has an allergy to the material his toy, feeder, or drinker is made of, surely the part most affected is their muzzle, and intense scratching is inevitable. Redness and wounds may appear in the area of the nasal plane (on the nose) and inflammation of the lips (cheilitis). In this case, in addition to the typical allergy therapy, it is essential to replace everything that directly contacts its snout with the least allergenic material possible, such as stainless steel for feeders, PVC-free toys…
Although these processes are easy to control, scratching can lead to secondary injuries, such as ulcers on the cornea when it reaches the eye area when pawing, and wounds that can become infected. In this way, if you suspect that allergies are the reason why your dog scratches his nose a lot, go to the vet as soon as possible.
Skin diseases
The muzzle area presents two key points: the junction between the oral mucosa and skin on the lips, and the junction between the mucosa of the nose and the skin of the nasal plane. These transition zones are a little Achilles' heel. These two places can be affected by quite a few dermatological problems that especially affect the mucocutaneous junctions, and that cause intense itching.
- Pemphigus and pemphigoid There are many varieties (foliaceous, bullous, erythematous…). Basically it is an immune problem in which the body attacks itself, something called an autoimmune process. In other cases, there is some external problem that causes the formation of antibodies against those areas of the skin, without being an internal process, in which case it is called an immune-mediated process. In any case, we will notice our dog insistently scratching the area of the snout, peeling and erythema or blistering in the nasal area. Sometimes the lesions appear very typical, like butterfly wings, and often have a moist appearance if secondarily contaminated by bacteria. Treatment is established after performing a differential diagnosis with other possible diseases, and is based on immunosuppressants and antibiotics if there is infection secondary to scratching. They can be in the form of ointments, but the habit of licking usually forces the use of systemic therapy, either orally or by injection. Avoiding the sun in these cases is very important.
- Sunburn In white coats, the area of the lips and nasal plane is usually particularly exposed (little hair and skin always of a intense pink color). Sometimes we do not realize it in summer, and they burn with amazing ease, causing intense discomfort to our dog, who rubs his nose against any surface or scratches desperately. It is very important to prevent them and treat them with emollients and regenerating creams based on zinc and vitamin A, for example, or with Aloe vera.
- Other facial dermatoses that can lead to nose scratching in our dog can be juvenile cellulitis, painful pyoderma that affects puppies and that although it does not cause itching per se, it gives rise to pain that forces constant fingering; the dermatophytoisis, fungi in the nasal plane; and sometimes the juvenile acne of the chin, which can be itchy if secondarily contaminated.
Do not forget that the Malassezia pachydermatis yeast, naturally present on the chin and muzzle areas, can take advantage of any drop in defenses to proliferate and lead to constant scratching of the area.
Caterpillars and foreign bodies
Especially in spring-summer, our dog's snout is exposed almost daily to dozens of species of caterpillars, whose villi are more or less stinging. In the event that our dog sniffs a pine processionary butterfly caterpillar, the lesions on the snout and tongue can be terrible, and even lead to necrosis of the knitting. For this reason, we recommend you read the article on our site about first aid for the processionary.
But there are many other species of caterpillars that simply irritate our dog's snout, since their hairs have the mission of defending them from possible attacks, causing moments of intense itching, sneezing and vigorous scratching without greater consequences. Watching the areas we walk through and detecting their presence to avoid them (they are usually spread over certain areas), will be essential in prevention.
The small spikelets not only penetrate the ears in summer, giving rise to that common urge, but they can also lodge in one of the nostrils, causing the immediate reaction of our dog, who will rub his nose insistently to try to expel it.
Although in certain tropical areas the presence of fly larvae and other insects can be observed in the nasal cavity of dogs (myiasis), in the temperate and cold zones of Europe it is not common. However, their presence would lead to a logical and frantic scratching of the snout.
Other rare causes
Although the above causes are the most common, they are not the only ones that can help us understand why the dog scratches his nose a lot. Thus, if our dog suffers from any alteration in the nasal turbinates, or at the level of the nasal sinuses(cavities filled with air), we may begin to notice it due to abnormal discharges through the nostrils, such as blood, or continuous scratching.
In the case of aggressive neoplasms such as carcinomas, degeneration of the sinus can lead to deformity of the face, in which case the alteration will be more evident than scratching. However, the discomfort that can lead to scratching the nose does not always appear, or it does so when the bone alteration has already appeared.
