What to Put on a Dog's Scraped & Sunburnt Nose

Dogs love the sun as much as people do, so when the first rays of Spring sunshine stream through your window, your dog will be pawing at the door to go bask in them. However, your dog's skin may be as susceptible to sunburn as your own skin, and can get burned if your dog's pigmentation is light. Knowing how to treat your dog's scrapes and sunburns can be useful knowledge if you own a dog.

  1. What To Watch For

    • Dog owners should keep an eye on their dog's nose to make sure it stays healthy. A dog's curious nose is prone to cuts, scrapes and sunburns, which can cause your dog some discomfort. Repeated sunburns have the potential to cause skin cancer to develop in the same way as it does with people. You can prevent sunburn on your dog's nose by using sunscreen, but you can not prevent scrapes. Knowing basic wound care for dogs can save you an expensive trip to the vet.

    Treating Sunburns

    • You have a choice between using over the counter remedies or natural home remedies to treat your dog's sunburned nose. To relieve pain, you can use an analgesic aloe vera, such as aloe vera with lidocaine in it. You can also use the fresh juice and gel from an aloe leaf, applying it directly to your dog's nose. Vitamin E capsules can help heal the skin of your dog's burned nose faster. Break open the capsule and apply the oil to your dog's nose.

    Treating Scrapes

    • If you dog comes home with a scraped nose, the first thing to do is to clean the wound to prevent infection. You can either use a solution of water a providone iodine, adding a small amount of the iodine to water, barely tinting the water. A natural alternative to iodine is to use witch hazel, which is a natural antiseptic. Soak a cotton ball in the astringent, and dribble the scrape with it, gently dabbing the wound. Since your dog will likely lick it's nose, it's not recommended to apply an ointment to its nose, but you can gently dab the clean scrape with petroleum jelly to keep the wound moist, which will speed up the wound's healing.

    When To Go To The Vet

    • It is never a bad idea to take your dog to the vet if it has a wound of any sort, or to call a vet's office to find out what the best way is to treat your dog from home if your dog's wounds are minor. However, some wounds are serious enough that you should get your dog in to see a vet as soon as you can. Some warning signs are if the wound is very deep, if your dogs loses interest in eating or drinking, if you can see multiple layers of skin exposed at the burn site, if your dog's skin is cracked, or if your dog appears to be suffering or in pain.