Blood-Tinged Nasal Discharge - Need Advice

[Guest lulafortune]

I am looking for advice if anyone has encountered anything similar to this situation. We adopted our greyhound about 2 months ago. When we first got him we noticed little spots of blood in various spots here and there around the house. More like a blood tinged discharge than actual bright red blood, and we would see it here and there on the window sill or the wall, etc. We weren't sure where it was coming from so we kept watching him thinking maybe he cut his gums or mouth on a bone while eating. Well recently we figured out that it is coming from his right nostril. So we took him to the vet immediately after that. All his blood work came back ok (Tick-borne disease, CBC, platelets, etc.) and his temperature was normal so the vet recommended we try giving him Benadryl for a week just to rule out allergies but then recommends a CT scan and rhinoscopy. They mentioned a common cause of one sided nasal bleeding is fungus and if that is what he has it has to be treated very aggressively (i.e. twice a week under anesthesia and flush nasal cavities with medicine).

 

He is 3 years old and seems normal in every other way. Eats very well, sleeps well, seems generally happy, so the discharge is the only symptom we've noticed (no coughing or sneezing either). Has anyone had a similar situation with blood tinged nasal discharge? What did you do and what was the outcome?

 

[TheFullHouse]

I don't want to scare you or anything but we just lost our Jilly Bean to a nasal tumor that started with just a drop or two of blood from one nostril. My vet told me it was a symptom of a nasal tumor when we took her in. He scoped her nose and couldn't see anything, hers turned out to be behind her sinus cavity. She was 13 at the time of diagnosis though. With a 3 year old I would do the CT scan to rule it out because you could wait for months to find out if it is indeed a nasal tumor. Jilly Bean lasted 8 1/2 months with hers.

 

I will keep your boy in my prayers and hopefully it is just a fungal infection.

[mychip1]

Many prayers for your baby.......

[TheFullHouse]

I should have added that if the Benadryl doesn't work, maybe a course of antibiotics would not be a bad idea in case of an infection. If those didn't work I would go for the CT instead of putting a dog under twice a week for treatment. I don't think I would have my dog put under twice a week unless I had a definite diagnosis of a fungal infection. You could end up treating him for something he doesn't have.

[FiveRoooooers]

More like a blood tinged discharge than actual bright red blood,

 

Something else to consider: if it's this ^^ it could suggest a foreign body (tooth, root, something else) in the nasal cavity or in the jaw bone vs. a tumor or head trauma. Tumors and trauma would likely give you bright red blood vs. a mucousy bloody discharge like what I think you are describing. An x-ray would not be an unreasonable place to start, although an MRI will give more information.

[Guest greytone]

I don't have any experience with this but am curious as to why your vet thinks its allergies.

[IndyandHollyluv]

Hi there! Congratulations on your adoption! Well, I hope it's nothing too serious as your boy is so young; however, I also lost my heartdog Indy to nasal cancer. He was 10+ when I first noted blood dripping from his right nostril. He did pretty darn good for a little over one year. I said goodbye when Indy was 12 yr 2 mos.

 

This is Indy's story: After the bleeding started, I took Indy for a dental at which time the vet also performed a rhinoscopy, took x-rays and tissue samples, etc. All pathology and lab reports came back negative or inconclusive. Vet could see bleeding in the nasal cavity but could not isolate the source as there was too much blood and she said she couldn't scope up far enough.

 

Anyway, I assumed it was cancer but we couldn't get a definitive dx. Time went on. I did some reading - the prognosis for nasal cancer is poor - and at Indy's age I would not have subjected him to radiation, etc.

 

Eventually, I took Indy to a specialist for a CT scan (and biopsy) which revealed the mass in his right nostril. I made the decision to say goodbye before the mass began to press on his eye or brain. Toward the end, Indy would hold his head in a vertical position when lying down - which told me he was uncomfortable and in pain. I loved him too much to let him suffer further - the "better a day too soon than a day too late" philosophy. Oh, I considered taking Indy to see the on-staff oncologist to discuss palliative care options but decided that would only prolong his suffering.

 

I am hopeful this is not what you are dealing with - with any luck it's allergy, a foreign body, fungal, something treatable. Youth is on your pupper's side so be proactive. Hugs to you and your sweet boy. I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

 

eta: just fyi with respect to Indy's nasal discharge ... sometimes it was a droplet or two, sometimes a sneezy spray, sometimes mucous-y and blood-tinged. It was not the same color or consistency all the time.

Edited January 3, 2013 by IndyandHollyluv

[Guest lulafortune]

I have gotten some advice from the adoption agency I used and one or two people on this forum are recommending I try antibiotics first too. I think I will call the vet today and try that along with that Benadryl for the next week and see if it gets any better.

 

I'm not sure why the vet thought it might be allergies, she did say that greyhounds tend to have more allergies than other breeds and that it could possibly irritate the nasal cavities. I'm not holding much hope for that theory considering it seems to be only coming out of one side of his nose.

 

I'm hoping that its not a tumor. At his age I believe it would be rare but there are always exceptions to the rule. I will try to hold out hope until I know for sure.

 

If not, the next step will be the CT scan/rhinoscopy. I may have to look for a new vet too. They seem to be really expensive and i dont know how long we can swing the financial burden that this may cause.

 

Thanks to all for sharing your stories.

[Guest lulafortune]

• The vet is going to call me back tomorrow so I can discuss the antibiotics. I just asked about the cost of rhinoscopy and they said $900-$1400. Wow, I was not expecting that. Does that sound right?

[tbhounds]

He would be awful young to have a nasal mass---not saying its impossible but, imho its very unlikely. Has your vet considered a foxtail??

[a_daerr]

she did say that greyhounds tend to have more allergies than other breeds

 

Really?

[TheFullHouse]

The cost depends on where you live. It cost us about $300.00 to have Jilly Bean scoped. He's really young and you have that going for you. We had x-rays done and put her on antibiotics first and then went for the scope. We never took it further because our vet was pretty sure of his diagnosis and Jilly's advanced age.

[MP_the4pack]

A canine tooth abscess will also cause this because their roots are very long and very close to the sinuses. And you may not see an abscess inside the mouth. But I would definitely be agressive in finding the cause because there are some nasty things it could be.

[FiveRoooooers]

Any update?

[Guest lulafortune]

Just wanted to give everyone an update. I discussed with the vet and we started a 14 day course of Amoxicillin to see if that clears it up. The next step will to go for dental xrays because he has a fractured upper maxillary fang tooth and it looks like the root maybe be exposed and, if infected, could be causing the nasal bleeding. If the antibiotics and the xrays do not reveal anything the next step would be the rhinoscopy.

 

I appreciate everyone's advice and will keep you all posted. Lets keep our fingers crossed. Thanks!

[a_daerr]

Good news! Hoping for the best for your boy.

[TheFullHouse]

Fingers crossed for an easy fix!

[greyhead]

Fingers crossed, and thanks for the update.

[Guest mld]

Hopefully its nothing serious, sending healing thoughts

[FiveRoooooers]

Thank you for updating us. Hang in there.

[duncan41]

All fingers and toes crossed for a fast and simple resolution.

[Guest lulafortune]

I just wanted to post an update. Enzo finished his 14 day course of antibiotics yesterday and the bleeding seems to have stopped somewhere around Day 7. His nose still seems a little drippy, but its clear and from both nostrils so maybe thats just normal.

 

I have a call into the vet to see what the next steps are. I'm wondering if we can rule anything out (cancer, fungus) because of the fact that antibiotics helped?

[galgrey]

I just wanted to post an update. Enzo finished his 14 day course of antibiotics yesterday and the bleeding seems to have stopped somewhere around Day 7. His nose still seems a little drippy, but its clear and from both nostrils so maybe thats just normal.

 

I have a call into the vet to see what the next steps are. I'm wondering if we can rule anything out (cancer, fungus) because of the fact that antibiotics helped?

No advice, but very glad to see that the bleeding has stopped. I'm sending good thoughts that all is resolved. Keep us posted.

[4My2Greys]

Thanks for the update. It sounds good so far. Let us know what the vet says.

[TheFullHouse]

We tried antibiotics first with Jilly Bean, the vet suspecting an infection, it didn't work for her so the fact that the antibiotics worked for you is a good sign. The dripping clear is a very good sign. Greyhounds tend to have drippy noses when they get excited or nervous any way. Very good sign that both side are dripping too. Sounds like an infection and the antibiotics worked! Good update!