My dogs nose bleed

[Charlies mam]

Hello.. this is my first post so here goes ...

A few week ago my cocker spaniel dog Charlie who is 2 yrs old chased a ball we threw into the shrubbery in our garden, He came out violently sneezing and a bit of blood was coming from his left nostril, we took him to the vets and he was given a week course of antibiotics and anti inflamitary's one was called metecam and a large pink tablet once a day we halved.
He seemed to calm the first week but as soon as the course stopped it started again.. we went back and the vet put him on a longer course.. it hasn't cured it but he did have a couple of days where he didn't bleed during the sneezing.. the sneezing only happens if he gets really excited and only about once a day.. we have booked him in again for further inspection. if he has done damage up his nose.. is it repairable ? do you have any thoughts on this for us please? he is still REALLY OK in himself eating OK running OK and everything with no signs of illness or distress at all, no pawing at his nose or anything. I have total trust in our vet but i just wondered if any of you have heard of this. OOh i have to add....the blood is very slight maybe 3 drops or less
Thank you for any replies.
Pat

[Myka]

Has the vet said exactly what infection he is treating with the antibiotics? The way you say it, it sounds like the vet is guessing at a problem by throwing antibiotics at the dog (which is an action of come vets that I can't stand). Has the vet actually located an infection? Metacam is not a gentle medication. I would be scoping the nose to see if there is a foreign object (grass, weeds, small stick?) jammed up there in which case the antibiotics wouldn't cure the problem.

[Charlies mam]

no she didnt say.. i think when he goe in on Monday they are going to put him under and look.. but im still worried, I did mention a twig or something might be in there but she seemed to think if there was ... he would be pawing the nose

[hazelrunpack]

It could be something as small as a thorn or a grass awn, Charlies mam, and wouldn't necessarily cause him enough pain to have him pawing at it. A scope and flush would be a good idea at this point, imo. If there's anything in there, a flush may well dislodge it.

What kind of shrubs are they? Anything that has thorns?

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by Myka

Has the vet said exactly what infection he is treating with the antibiotics? The way you say it, it sounds like the vet is guessing at a problem by throwing antibiotics at the dog (which is an action of come vets that I can't stand). Has the vet actually located an infection? Metacam is not a gentle medication. I would be scoping the nose to see if there is a foreign object (grass, weeds, small stick?) jammed up there in which case the antibiotics wouldn't cure the problem.

I was thinking of that too , that maybe an foreign object got into the dog nose, or could it be a tick or a bug in the dog nose ?

[Charlies mam]

TY for replies up to now.....i must admit that when he sneezes badly you really expect something to come out, he closes his left eye as well as he really tries to clear it. everything else about him is perfect, appetite etc. but still I worry.
if it has been a thorn / twig would it still be there after 3 weeks ?
There are thorns around the garden in places and i I did inspect the place that he ran into to get the ball the last time... there was a twig that was sticking out that could have entered his nose.. if he has just scratched it inside.... would he sneeze like that for so long.. i mean about once / twice a day for 3 weeks? I do think the sneezing is so violent that it opens up any repair overnight.
C M

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by Charlies mam

TY for replies up to now.....i must admit that when he sneezes badly you really expect something to come out, he closes his left eye as well as he really tries to clear it. everything else about him is perfect, appetite etc. but still I worry.
if it has been a thorn / twig would it still be there after 3 weeks ?
There are thorns around the garden in places and i I did inspect the place that he ran into to get the ball the last time... there was a twig that was sticking out that could have entered his nose.. if he has just scratched it inside.... would he sneeze like that for so long.. i mean about once / twice a day for 3 weeks? I do think the sneezing is so violent that it opens up any repair overnight.
C M

Does his nose look swollen to you at all? If his eye is bothering him too he could had an infection and I would bring him to the vet to be on the safe side.

[hazelrunpack]

If it's something like a small thorn or grass awn, yes it could still be up there. Often sharp little things will end up imbedded in the tissues and cause longterm irritation.

It never hurts to have a rhinoscopy and flush done to rule out that possibility.

[Charlies mam]

Hek.. i have REALLY really looked at him from every angle just to see if there are ANY signs of anything and........nope... nothing visible.. no swelling what so ever. i frightened myself reading about possible tumors and there aren't any accompanying symptoms. he is absolutely full of himself running round as usual.. he is sort of snorting like breathing through it occasionally as he breaths out from it.. but nothing too excessive, the nose is sore though as he does have a reluctance to root in his toy box to pick individual toys out if they r at the bottom of it..
I don't think its a tumor mainly because i don't want to :-) His eyes are as clear as anything.

Thank you for your replies to me :-)

C M.

[hazelrunpack]

Ya, I hear ya. Scary stuff. Been there...

Actually it might be a good thing that his nose is sore, though--it may be that there really is something jammed up there that's giving him discomfort. With luck the vet will find it on Monday!

[MaxaLisa]

Sounds to me like he has to be put under anesthesia and have a foreign body removed, ASAP, before it travels too far in and can't be easily removed.

[Charlies mam]

Well.....this morn when I let charlie out of his bed time crate he got excited again and started his sneezing... this time it was the worst ... it lasted about 15 mins and it bled a lot more.. I rang the vets and it was the senior vet that answered ive known him about 20 yrs .. he described the circumstances and probable cause which seemed to fit.. he said that he suspects a damaged vessel due to the running into the bushes and every time he gets excited although this vessel is partially healing when rested, the blood pressure rise will rupture it again and cause this.. this does fit the bill, and roll on Monday, They had an alsation in about 3 weeks ago with the same thing and it needed cauterization, He talked me through some of the things charlie is doing and it seems to fit....
As soon as i returned Charlie to his bed it stopped and he was calm.... I wish it was Monday today...
Thanks for talking to me...
Charlies Mam.

[Charlies mam]

???????????????
Right... follow up... news, as i described charlie had a HUGE sneezing this morn.... well... i had put him in his bed crate to quiet him and after about an hour i took him out.. he seemed on.. at about 10- 50 this morn i went upstairs to tell hubby i was making a cuppa.. we came down and Charlie was making gestures toward his bed.. i thought at first he had a toy hidden so i inspected / looked and.. there in his bed was a stick / twig about 3 ins long i picked it up and it was sort of soaked wet.. i smelled it and it was foul smelling like the smell i had noticed from charlies nose.. i took the twig into the kitchen and held the end of it onto a tissue and there was blood on both ends... one end was pointed so i split it down slightly and put the tissue inside and it was wet with matter and weak blood residue... I'm hoping this was it... but hekk could this have been up there 3 / 4 weeks ??? he seems VERY ok at the moment now.
Here's hoping...
Charlies mam..

[MaxaLisa]

Maybe, I hope that was it.

It should be aid that foreign bodies in the nasal pasage can be turn fatal and hould be handled as an emergency situation. Shame on your vet. I REALLY hope that the twig I the end of it, and also hope for no residual infection.

[hazelrunpack]

I so hope that was it!!!! Holy catz! I'd still have him in to the vet on Monday so they can assess the damage. A scope and flush would still be a good idea.

And yes, a twig can stay in there that long. We've had inch-long thorns up into paws that were invisible until they began to fester out.

Crossing my fingers that he's on the mend now!

[Charlies mam]

Yes....... i will have him there on Monday... but HEKKK is he happy tonight rooting in his toy box now and so so happy... its odd realy because slowly over the past few weeks slowly he had slowed and until tonight we didnt realise how much... tomorrow will be a telling day in the morn as it had become a routine for him to be let out and go into one of his sneezing fits.... he has just ran round and round in the garden and NO hissing from his nose and he is far more active AGAIN
I will post tomorrow and let you all know
Thanks again
Charlies (loving) Mam

[hazelrunpack]

Awesome news, Charlies mam!!

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by Charlies mam

???????????????
Right... follow up... news, as i described charlie had a HUGE sneezing this morn.... well... i had put him in his bed crate to quiet him and after about an hour i took him out.. he seemed on.. at about 10- 50 this morn i went upstairs to tell hubby i was making a cuppa.. we came down and Charlie was making gestures toward his bed.. i thought at first he had a toy hidden so i inspected / looked and.. there in his bed was a stick / twig about 3 ins long i picked it up and it was sort of soaked wet.. i smelled it and it was foul smelling like the smell i had noticed from charlies nose.. i took the twig into the kitchen and held the end of it onto a tissue and there was blood on both ends... one end was pointed so i split it down slightly and put the tissue inside and it was wet with matter and weak blood residue... I'm hoping this was it... but hekk could this have been up there 3 / 4 weeks ??? he seems VERY ok at the moment now.
Here's hoping...
Charlies mam..

He has an infection , I wish it was not a weekend so you could bring him to vet to see if he will need to take any antibiotics. I am glad the stick came out on it own. I guess we have to be careful when playing ball with our dogs so they'll not run into any sharp objects. Marty is always poking his head into bushes , I will have to keep an eye on him.

[Charlies mam]

Thank you all..... Today.. NO sneezing AT ALL!!! he is 110% flying round and happy... I know 100% now it WAS the twig that did come out of his nose...
Today he came out of his bed absolutely full of himself it was so so good to see him back to how he was again.. little differences i notice now.. he is more carefree where i know now he was so tender on his face and was wary all the time of bumping it.
I will always be amazed at how this twig could be up there for nearly 4 weeks and he didn't even paw his nose or anything. I measured the twig, it was 3 and a half inches long and about half the circumference of a pencil.
I will take him tomorrow as planned and see how we go on. His nose doesn't smell at all now of anything.
Thanks again
C M

[hazelrunpack]

Totally awesome!!! Let us know what the vet says tomorrow!

[Charlies mam]

Sorry for the delay in reply .. We went to the vets as planned on Monday and the vet had a good look t Charlie and asked how he seemed now.... we told him he was absolutely perfect and had no signs of sneezing etc, They were pleased about that and put him on a short precautionary dose of half a tablet of Synulox antibiotic for a week. Since the episode on Saturday Charlie has been perfect

It makes you realise how lucky we were though.. its strange but until something like this happens you seem to take good health in a young dog for granted. Thank you everyone for your replies, interest, care, and help.. i will continue to watch the boards and report in Charlie now and then

Thank you ALL again
Charlies ( Loving ) Mam

[hazelrunpack]

Wonderful!! I'm so happy, CM!!