> dig +short -x 1.2.3.4 | awk '{if ( $0 == "" ) {print "PTR_NUL" } else {print $0 } }'
If you run the dig command without the pipe, it should give you an
idea of why what you're trying is not working.
> dig +short -x 1.2.3.4 | wc
0 0 0
Josh