Nasal Cavity Problem In Jack Russell

[Guest kelli123]

I have a 9 yr old JRT that is active and seemed to be fine up until a Month ago, She started acting like she couldn't breath out of her nose and sounding all snotty, Sneezing and actual snot coming out of one of her nostrils.

Took her to the vet, Vet says teeth need cleaned maybe she has infection in one of the teeth and that is causing the sinus drainage or infection, the teeth cleaning could clear it up. Molly was put on antibiotics and a week later had teeth cleaned, 3 pulled on the bottom but all top teeth seem fine..

 

So two weeks later still on antibiotics ,Nose keeps running and she keeps snorting so back to the vet today , He takes multiple x-rays of her head & nostrils. He sees that on one side of her nose there is a cavity up towords the top sorta close to her eye. This cavity is supposed to be bone. But there is no bone, there is a hole.

 

He does not no why there is no bone there.

He Took a culture and is sending it in.

 

There was no star burst affect but I'm scared to death this could still be cancer. He wants us to clean her nose with neosporine nasal drops twice a day and clean the out side of her nose with saline.

 

Has any one had any experience with things like this or have a idea of what this could be? I know she is not a greyhound, So i hope i can post this here. Thanks so much for any advice you can give Kelli & Molly

 

 

[TheFullHouse]

Awww, what a cutie. I have no advice. Jilly Bean has never had any problems like that. Wishing the best for your cutie.

[heartdogs]

My son & I had a mini doxie that had a problem like this & she'd had an infection in a canine that went into the sinsus(sp) cavity. It was terrible smelling but after having the bad tooth pulled & the area cleaned she was fine. Also on the EPI list there was a little Frenchie that had a similar problem, the entire inside of her tooth was eaten away but the pain was terrible. Hope you get it cleared up.

[GeorgeofNE]

What a little cutie!

 

I hope they figure it out soon.

[Guest kelli123]

We have one week to wait for the cultures to come back , Until then I'm advised to give Neo-Synephrine nose drops. And was her nose with Saline,

Hopefully it will not be nasal cancer. I remember someone on here having a greyhound with nasal cancer, was just wondering what they did and what the symptoms where? Does any one remember who that was? Thanks so much Kelli & Molly

[IndyandHollyluv]

Hi Kelli - wow, just coincidental that I happened to see your post. I don't know if it was me you were thinking of but in 2/10 I euthanized my beloved Indy due to nasal cancer.

 

First, hugs to you and Molly (boy, she is awfully cute). I can only hope and pray that Molly's problem is just an infection, sinus or dental-related (not sure about the hole??!) but I will briefly share with you Indy's journey - just in case.

 

In late summer to fall 2008, Indy was a few months shy of his 11th birthday and one day I noted a little blood dripping from one of his nostrils. Truthfully, I can't recall when he started to sneeze and snort (I would have to look at my doggy calendar) - if it was before or after the nosebleeds started. He was due for a dental so I discussed with his vet and a rhinoscopy was scheduled for the same day. By the way, his dental was fine. No problems.

 

Rhinoscopy, tissue biopsy, pathology report, etc., all came back negative or inconclusive. The vet said she could not see or locate the source of the bleeding as she couldn't get far enough up into the nasal cavity; not to mention, there was blood in the nostril. I believe they took x-rays (don't recall for sure) but they would have been negative as well.

 

I cannot recall any specific treatment; perhaps some Metacam to reduce inflammation. I admit to being a bit frustrated as I assumed it was cancer but couldn't get confirmation.

 

Anyway, Indy did pretty well for about one year. The periods of sneezing, snotting, and bloody nose spray would come and go. He never had profuse nosebleeds. No sign of infection with green or yellow discharge either.

 

However, in December 2009, just after Indy turned 12 he began to decline in earnest. The frequency of his sneezes increased and he started to sound "stuffed up." Indy's sneezes consisted of ropey bloody mucus and it was apparent he was in discomfort. He seemed to need to hold his head in a vertical position when lying down. Clearly, he was experiencing pain or unpleasant sensations. Not to mention he was an older dog.

 

Anyway, I don't know that it was really necessary but I guess it's what I needed to do -- I asked for a referral for a CT scan. Indy was my first grey and heart dog. Four-legged love of my life. The specialist showed me the CT film - the scan revealed a mass in his right nostril (mid-nasal cavity back to just shy of his eye) which eventually could grow and press into his brain or eye.

 

While I think there are instances where radiation or chemo treatment may be possible, but from what I recall reading (and obviously) the nasal cavity is so complex and delicate that surgery is generally not an option and harsh chemo treatment or radiation will only destroy the delicate nasal structure, turbinates, etc., leaving the animal with serious medical problems.

 

Truthfully, I did a lot of online searching as there isn't much information about nasal cancer in any of my dog books (I seem to recall reading that, like, only two percent of dogs are dx'd with nasal cancer). But I think the reality is there seems to be a very limited amount that the medical community can do for animals with nasal cancer. The location just presents too many challenges. I seem to recall that dogs dx'd with nasal cancer often don't live beyond a three-month window or so. Indy survived that window and his quality of life was actually pretty good (and I'm a quality of life person).

 

As I probably mentioned in prior posts, I tearfully let Indy go two weeks after the scan. I needed a little time to cry, sob, and say goodbye but I didn't want him to suffer - so I let him go sooner rather than later.

 

Please let us know how it goes for Molly and feel free to contact me if you have questions.

 

Hugs to you and for Molly:

Edited January 26, 2011 by IndyandHollyluv

[Guest TBSFlame]

One of mine is going through the same thing right now. Over a year ago Star ate a big bag of rice. We thought she sucked rice up into her nasal cavity. Washed out her head and sent snot off for testing. She has taken several long term rounds of AB. I have never seen any blood but she sneezes and snots long ribbons of snot. Sometimes it is worse that other times. she feels great, playful and is eating well. She will be 11 on Feb. 2. It has been well over a year since this started. I have recently changed her to a grain free diet to see if that helps. Sometimes the inside of her ears look pink or red. Hopefully the diet change will help her. I have not had a Rhinoscopy done yet (next step). I am thinking if it were cancer she would have gotten worse in a year plus. I did talk to someone that had a GSD that lived for years with the problem. They never did find out what was wrong. I know that is not much help.