Bichon with nose bleeds
 

I'm new to this forum, was looking on the internet about nose bleeds in dogs. I found a Bichon cross on the highway two years ago and she is getting major nose bleeds, vet put her on steroids, but she is getting worse. Now she has nose bleeds daily, since the steroids she has started gagging and sneezing out phlegm. Any advice, hope it's not cancer, she's a well behaved beautiful girl who is an older dog that has slowed down but not enough to put her to sleep.

Are the nosebleeds on both sides or just one nostril? Has the vet suggested a nasal scope and flush? Sometimes nosebleeds can be caused by irritants stuck in the nasal passages. With a scope, they can sometimes see what the cause is and a flush can dislodge the material and cure the problem.

Another thought is to have your dog checked for tick-borne disease--some of them, like anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis, can reduce the number of platelets produced to the point of causing unexplained bleeding. There may not be many ticks in your area (?) but she may have been exposed elsewhere before making her way to you. Since some of the tick-borne diseases aren't easily detected, sometimes a vet will just treat with doxycycline for 4 to 6 weeks and see if symptoms improve.

I hope you come up with some answers soon, Zena. I know how scary canine nosebleeds are. :grouphug:

Thanks for the info, we have another vet appt on Friday. Highway bleeds from only her right nostril, hopefully we can get an answer soon. Thanks for the help!

I wonder if it may be a nasal polyp.

I hope your Vet can figure it out.

Hugz to Highway.

Any updates, Zena? How did the vet visit go?

what about the humidity level? does it happen more in winter then summer? It gets horribly dry in winter, especially out West if you have no humidifiers.

Zena, I'm sorry to hear your baby has issues, it's always scary, especially when you don't know what's wrong. I'm not sure who you use as a vet, but if it does turn out to be cancer, Dr. Jennifer Stelfox in Spruce Grove is just amazing, and very reasonable. Our boy was diagnosed on Feb. 26, 2011. It will be 1 year ago tomorrow. She has done very well for both our boys and is up on the latest treatments. If you need more info or have any questions, please feel free to message me :)

GL!

Robyn