How to apply medicine on dog's snout?

Question

My dog have a condition that makes her snout a little dry and prone to brittle. We went to a vet and she prescribed a sticky lotion-like medicine to apply on my dog's snout twice a day.

Problem is, my dog keeps liking the medicine right after we applied it. I tried using cotton pads to apply the lotion gently but my dog licks it anyway. It's okay for the dog to ingest this lotion but It just doesn't stay on her skin! Is there another way to apply the lotion without having to hold the dog's mouth closed?

Answer 1

• First, you could check and see if the medicine has to remain on the wound for a specific time. If it is not too long of a period, one way is to spend that medication time napping with the pup. While they are sleeping, they are less likely to bother the affected area. Or if it is ever shorter, you could attempt to just distract their attention, if it is only needed for a few moments.
• Second, if you are entirely against any form of muzzle-like fixture, you could use some liquid bandage. For this, you would put the medicine on, apply the liquid bandage, and then allow the dog to go on its way. They actually make some specifically for dogs and cats.
• Lastly, if you are fine with muzzles and the like, you could try fashioning a nose cover for your dog that could attach to a collar. I suggest this primarily because every dog is different, and because an off-the-shelf muzzle is not made for this specific application. You could take some soft cloth and collar strap and fashion it so that the cover would go over the dog's nose, and would attach to both sides of the collar to be held in place [you might want to add some elastic to allow for the best range of motion while remaining close to the injury]. It could fully allow normal breathing, while still being effective in protecting the nose/medicine long enough for healing to occur. There are actually companies that make these specifically, but they are still a one-size-fits-all product.