Dog nose bleed - Answered by Dr. Lee

[luckypenny]

Originally Posted by NikkisMom

It's just stressful to see her go through these situations.

I can only imagine :sad:. I have no experience dealing with any of this, only wanted to send hugs to all of you who are .

[Jagcatfan]

This morning my husband has taken our 16+ year old Bichon, Snoozie to the vet to be put to sleep. She has had so much trouble breathing over the last week or so. The nose bleeding had stopped now for a couple of weeks, just some mucousy discharge. But the main problem is that she would hardly eat anything. In the past two days the only thing she ate was a slice of turkey lunch meat. You could feel her bones along her spine and tailbone. She also had trouble sleeping because of her breathing. I cried all day yesterday and decided that I just couldn't sit and watch another beloved pet be put to sleep. I loved that dog so much and after over 16 years of feeding, bathing, walking and just having fun with her I don't know what I'm going to do. This will be the first time in 27 years that we haven't had a dog in our home and I don't think it will feel the same. My heart goes out to every single one of you that are having health problems with your pets. I understand the absolutely heart wrenching pain you're going through and my thoughts and prayers are with each of you. I wanted to post a picture of my baby when she was a baby but I couldn't figure out how to do it. RIP Snoozie's Anniversary Waltz - May 20, 1993 - October 23, 2009

[Chris21711]

So sad to hear about Snoozie, this has to be one of the saddest threads on the board...I know what anguish you are going through, last month I was faced with making this heart wrenching decision :sad:

Dear Snoozie

[NikkisMom]

Jagcatfan, I'm so sorry, our babies really do mean so much to us, it's so hard to make that decision, but it sounds like it was time. My heart goes out to you.
I'm trying to figure out what to do myself, it took Nikki awhile to regain herself after her seizure and nosebleed last night. I think it was mainly the seizure that wore her out though. Today she has been sleeping in the bedroom on her little bed, normally she sleeps on the couch during the day. Part of me is wondering if she's ready to go and that's why she's sleeping in there. She's so lethargic during the day, then when my husband gets home she gets excited to see him. So of course he thinks she's fine, but I'm home all day and see a different side of her. A friend told me that dogs put on acts when they are sick, that they pretend they are feeling well around their owners even when they are in pain. So now I wonder if that's what she's doing. I wish they could talk to us and tell us how they're feeling.
Hugs to all

[hazelrunpack]

I'm so sorry, Jagcatfan

Snoozie

[ScottieDog]

Jagcatfan, I am so sorry for your loss. Know that Snoozie plays in a world without pain. I know that letting her go breaks your heart--I made that decision last month with my geriatric guy. You aren't alone in this pain; we share it with you. You and your husband are in my thoughts.

Run free sweet little Snoozie.

[NikkisMom]

Question to all-has anyone's dog ever seemed ridiculously hungry at certain times of the day? Nikki is very lethargic during the day but at night she pants a lot and begs for food constantly. It's odd, I attributed it to my husband being home but now I'm not so sure. I know a side effect of the steroids was increased appetite but she's been off of the steroids for over a week. She also has runny stool.

[hazelrunpack]

Not sure what's going on, NikkisMom. When you took her off steroids, did you do it all at once or on a tapered reduction schedule? The symptoms sound like they could still be related to the steroids, but there are other things that cause similar behavior. Have you talked to the vet about it?

[NikkisMom]

We took her off steroids all at once, we didn't taper it. The bleeding was freaking us out so we thought it best to completely stop the steroids. I emailed her vet asking him what he thought. Still waiting to hear back.

[hazelrunpack]

Did you ever hear back from the vet, NikkisMom? I know that vets will usually wean a dog slowly off steroids--she might be reacting to the lack of them.

[NikkisMom]

I never heard back but she's acting normal again, I'm keeping my fingers crossed

[hazelrunpack]

That's good news!

[Jagcatfan]

I wanted to thank everyone for all of your kind thoughts and prayers I received after we made the decision to put my sweet little Snoozie out of her pain and suffering on October 23rd. That first night was so hard when I put my head down on the pillow and she wasn't right by my side. She had been there for the past 6 years snuggling up under the covers when she got cold and scooting out when she got hot. Sometimes in the morning when I first wake up is that I have to take her out to potty and then I realize that she's not here anymore. I guess when you do something for 16 1/2 years it will take some time for the tendency to want to do the same thing. One thing I've noticed is that our cat Prince Harry is missing her. He has taken to laying up on the couch by my husband where Snoozie used to lay in the evenings. And Harry was always laying on Snoozies floor pillow and I'd have to scoot him off just so she could lay there. He hasn't laid on that pillow not even once she's been gone. It makes me think that he used to do it just to bug her.

My thoughts have turned to all of the rest of you now wondering how your pets are doing and praying and hoping that their health has improved and that you will have many days left to love on them.

Thanks again. Snoozies Mom!!

[pbpatti]

Snoozies Mom, what a difficult time you had, but the 16 1/2 years..MD what a gift you had. It will take time to realize that Snoozie is gone, but to a better place. Snoozie

[NikkisMom]

Last night we had to have Nikki put to sleep. She had a seizure around 7 pm, and then another one shortly afterwards. We waited a little while because she normally snaps out of them, but this time she didn't. She was lying on the floor, her head turned back at a weird angle and she was breathing heavily and she looked very uncomfortable. She didn't even know we were there.
I couldn't continue to see her like that, so we took her to the emergency room. They took her back and asked me if I was ready. I was SO ready, I couldn't take seeing her like that anymore. Tony went and stayed in the car while I stayed with her. The first needle was a godsend, it made her relax, and after seeing her in that weird position for an hour and a half I was relieved to see her finally calm. Then the vet administered the 2nd needle and it was over. It wasn't as bad as I thought. I know that sounds weird, but all the stress left my shoulders even though I was sad. Ironically I had made an appt. for next Tuesday to have her put to sleep because I just had a "feeling" her time was coming. But I guess God wanted her sooner because last night was the night.
Last night and today was horrible though. My face aches from crying. I know she's no longer in pain, I picture her 2 years old again, chasing squirrels and running around enjoying life again. And I know I'll see her again one day, I just feel it in my heart. But reminders of her are the hardest. Seeing her little bed next to our bed. (I'm not quite ready to put it away.) Seeing her collar and her toys. I know it'll eventually get easier, but I miss her so much. I'll never stop missing her.
Nikki, my baby girl, I love you so much and will always love you.

[hazelrunpack]

Oh, she's such a beautiful girl You gave her a wonderful life, and such a wonderful gift at the end of it: your love and strength to ease her way.

I'm so sorry for the loss you feel. It's such a difficult thing. I, too, believe that in the end we'll be reunited with our little ones who have gone before. But I know how much it hurts to say even this temporary good-bye.

Thank you for sharing her picture and her story. She was such a lucky girl to have had you in her life.

Nikki

[CollieChum]

I am so sorry to hear about you guys with the nosebleed thing. How hard it must be.

I found this forum doing a search on this subject.

My collie of 15 years has started. I just came here for support from those who get it, who have been there with this. We had a scene as from a movie, like Last House on the Left about a week ago. Blood everywhere. It only took like 3-5 minutes for him to walk around everywhere and get it on everything before we realized he was bleeding.

I am taking him to the vet tomorrow and see if a round of antibitoics will help, on the outside chance he has a bad infection. He started bleeding again last night, it stopped and now he is bleeding again this morning.

I hate to lose him, but I am strangely calm. I think it is because he is so "overdue". The oldest collie I ever had was 13. Usually the life span is about 11-12.

He has been my chum forever. He is so good. The best dog I ever had.

[hazelrunpack]

Welcome, CollieChum. Wish it were under better circumstances.

Your dog sounds like a lovely old gent. I hope the antibiotics do the trick for him. Please let us know how it goes at the vet.

[CollieChum]

Thank you, I will. He is just like normal today. How strange. But I know he will be going downhill, from reading here what others have experienced. Sigh.

[hazelrunpack]

It really can be a roller coaster. All you can do is embrace the good days and roll with the punches. How did the vet visit go?

[juniorlover]

Dear jagcatfan and nikkismom,
I am so sorry to read about your losses It helped me so much just to have this thread and know that people out there were supporting me and thinking of my loss even though they had had their own. I hope you both are comforted by your happy memories.

[CollieChum]

I had an emergency tooth extraction on Monday, and he became much improved. I did not get him on the antibiotics because I did not go yet. I should take him at any rate, improved or not.

He just has a runny nose now, some snot. Every time he sneezes ahrd I am afraid we will have the bloodbath again.

I made a decision to not go on a 12 hour trip to visit my grown kid for Thanksgiving. I can't leave him with anyone, he may go downhill again.

I am so grateful to have found this place to share this.

[hazelrunpack]

Ouch! Hope your mouth heals up quickly

It's a shame you had to cancel your trip. Maybe the antibiotics will work well enough that you can still make it

[juniorlover]

colliechum,
Your old guy reminds me of our Junior . He would have the bleeding off and on. I would suggest the antibiotics and maybe vitamin K, it seemed to lessen Juniors bleeding quite a bit, that is if your old guy does in fact have the dreaded nasal cancer. At Juniors old age I wasn't willing to put him through too much. Good luck and I don't blame you for not wanting to leave him, I left Junior with our son the week before he died, I still regret it, my son was Juniors original owner, and stayed home with Junior for the entire time I was gone.

[Jagcatfan]

NikkisMom I am so sorry to hear that you had to put your baby down. I know how much you are hurting and I'm sorry for that. I sat here and cried when I read your post because I know how bad it hurts. I still cry when I think of my puppy and I want her back so much. When I'm gone from the house too long my first thought is that I've got to get home to let Snoozie out, and then I remember that I don't. May all of your thoughts and memories of your baby bring you much comfort and joy in the future.

CollieChum I am so sorry to hear that you are now going through what a lot of us on this site have gone through. I hope and pray that it is just an infection and that some meds will take care of the problem. If not, enjoy the time you have left with your special friend and let her go when you know the time is right.

[hazelrunpack]

I'm sorry you're still hurting so badly, Jagcatfan. 16 years of loving makes for a powerful bond. Snoozie knew she was loved. She couldn't have had a better mom!

Someone posted something on the board a while back that stuck in my mind. It was a quote, but I don't know who said it originally. Something to the effect, "Don't cry because I am gone; smile because I was here."

All the love she gave back to you, Jagcatfan...all the things you shared. No wonder it's so hard for you But things will get better and eventually, you will smile because Snoozie was with you...

Take care

[Lani Brown]

Originally Posted by hazelrunpack

I'm sorry your introduction to the board is under such sad circumstances, HunNica.

Unfortunately, all dogs and all cancers progress differently so it's hard to make predictions. However, with our Priscilla, the nose bleeds became gradually more frequent and more severe. We knew we were nearing the end the day she died--we'd made an appointment that evening to have her put to sleep. Priscilla just took matter into her own paws...

Priscilla's cancer never spread out of the nasal passages, though, as is the case in your dog, so I'm not sure if you'll see the same pattern or not.

Follow your heart and take it day by day. When waiting will give you time, but bring your girl no joy, you'll know it's time. It's a hard decision to make, but whatever you decide and whenever you decide it, if you make your decision out of love, your Vizsla will never fault you for it.

Good luck, HunNica. Most of the members here can relate to what you're going through--the board is very supportive. Please keep us posted on how things go. We're here if you need to talk or rant or just need a hug.

I just want to thank hazelrunpack and all who have shared their stories on this site. My ten year old rotti was diagnosed with a nasal tumor several weeks ago and it has been a horrible, emotional roller coaster ever since.

Paige was always a very healthy, happy girl. I got her from the humane society when she was about 2 and she quickly earned a place in my home as my one and only baby. She was sweet, shy, and loved to lie on her back and have her tummy rubbed for hours. When I was sick she would let me "spoon" her and we would often fall asleep on the couch together in our little two-person pack.

In 2007 Paige started to have problems with excessive sneezing. She was one of those dogs that loved to hunt gophers and often had her snout buried in the ground in hopes of catching one. But the sneezing became worse over the next few weeks and I made an appointment to bring her in to the vet. They asked some questions, examined her as best they could and advised me to have a scope done of her nose to confirm whether it was a foreign object or something else. I had made an appointment to bring her in the following week, but a few days later she sneezed out a massive amount of blood and what looked like clots. I waited a couple of days and the sneezing and nasal irritation seemed to stop. I canceled the appointment, letting the vet know that I would keep an eye on her and we just sort of moved on with our lives.

It wasn't until a month or so ago (now 2009) that the excessive sneezing started again, only this time it was combined with a terrible runny nose that often had blood mixed in with it and her left eye started to become weepy and swollen. We assumed that it was nothing more than a sinus infection and had my friend, who is a vet, give us some Amoxicillin and eye drops hoping that it would clear up the infection. It didn't.

Little by little the swelling in her eye got worse and I took her back to the vet, pretty much already knowing that it was something more serious. The vet took a look at her and asked me lots of questions regarding her medical history. I could tell when she got very quiet that the news was not going to be good. She sat down with me and told me that she was about 98% sure that it was a nasal tumor and then laid out my options: 1) a Cat Scan to confirm it's a tumor, which would be most likely followed with radiation treatment or 2) try to make the dog as comfortable as possible because it looked as if the tumor would spread very quickly. I took Paige home to think about what I wanted to do. In that week I cried more than I've ever cried in my life. I spent every moment with her, even sleeping on the floor to be close to her. At this point her eating was fairly normal, but slowly over the next few days she began to get worse. The tumor began to creep from her nasal area across her left eye and by the end of the week she could no longer see out of it at all. Her once active body began to slow down and although she still seemed to enjoy her walks, she spent most of her days sleeping. The vet gave me anti inflammatory medicine to help with pain and discomfort (along with regular pain medication) but Paige would cry out when we had to open her mouth to put the medicine down her throat. It was heartbreaking. I had been able to get her to eat soft dog food, tuna, chicken, gravy...but suddenly even that couldn't tempt her into eating.

Then last night, the decision was made for me. All of a sudden she began sneezing up alarming amounts of blood. It sounded very similar to another posting on here where she mentioned a "blood bath" of horrific proportions. We quickly took Paige in the car to the emergency room where they were able to stop the bleeding. The event, however, was enough for me to realize that it was time to let go.

With my family sitting close by and me curled up around her in our favorite "spooning" position, they administered the drugs that would finally lay her to rest. For those of you that worry about how to decide when is the right time to say goodbye to your beautiful babies, just know that when the time is right...you WILL know. Paige left this world exactly the way that I would have wanted her to. I'm glad that I didn't put her through the radiation, which most likely would have made her final days very uncomfortable and perhaps would have only extended her life a few months or so. Instead, I'm so thankful that I had the time to spend with her to really appreciate what a wonderful friend she was to me...my baby girl. She is going to be truly missed

[hazelrunpack]

Oh, Lani, my heart goes out to you. I'm so sorry for your loss...

But what a wonderful life you gave Paige. She felt your love every moment--right to the end. And that's the best gift you can give.

I wish you heart's ease.

We're here if you need us.

beautiful Paige

[Frenchy]

I never wanted to read this thread

alas .... I rushed home to see how Bailey was doing , he had a nose bleeding this morning ... he's ok now. I inspected the whole house , with a flashlight no blood. He didn't want to get up thought , so I coaxed him with a towel and took him outside , I left the other dogs inside. He was walking ok (he's been on Metacam for 2 weeks now) and ate his satin ball with appetite.

I then opened the computer to read this thread , after only 2 pages (the 2 last ones) I called my vet and we have an appointement on Saturday morning.

I know he has bad teeth , so I'm hoping it's just it.

I'm sorry for all the people that lost their beloved dogs to this

[hazelrunpack]

At least the nosebleed stopped, Frenchy! that it's just a bad tooth!