Nosebleeds in dogs (epistaxis). Why does a dog's nose bleed?

Nosebleeds in dogs most often occur due to injury.

Case study:
The phone call almost woke me up. It was already eleven o'clock in the evening.
A confused story from a dog owner: “A sick neighbor hit his German Shepherd on the head with a rake. The dog lost consciousness. But when she woke up, she managed to get up and crawl home. Now it lies under the table. Blood trickles from the nose. The dog does not respond to the call. Eyes closed. There’s a huge bump on my forehead.” I called a taxi and rushed to help.

As I expected, the dog was in shock. The gaze is absent, the pupil is dilated. Twilight consciousness. Blood was flowing from the nose. There is a huge hematoma on my forehead. A neighbor broke the bones of the dog's skull. But I only found out that it was a fracture of the skull bones at night, when the dog started breathing with its forehead. That is, with each inhalation and exhalation, the skin on the forehead rose and fell. So about nosebleeds. It was clearly traumatic in nature. And it was possible to stop the bleeding only with injections of ethamsylate solution. I also recommended ice on the forehead and bridge of the nose. First of all, the dog was brought out of the painful shock. And then surgery was performed.
You're probably wondering what happened to this dog. The dog is alive and well, which is what he wishes for you and me.

Once again about nosebleeds:

1. Traumatic

Traumatic nose bleed begins as a consequence of injury. The dog can be hit, run over by a car, or hit its head on a hard object while running.
In this case, any movement of the dog is excluded. Don't put your dog down. She should lie with her head on her front paws. Ice wrapped in a towel is placed on the dog's nose. And of course we call the veterinarian.

Increased intracranial pressure.

Most often it occurs in older dogs with fragile blood vessels. The dog walks with his head hung low. May bump into objects. Nosebleeds can start at any time. In this case, the most important thing is to call a veterinarian in time. First first aid most often not effective.

Bleeding due to heat stroke.

With this type of bleeding, the dog was necessarily in conditions of severe overheating (an exhibition in the summer in the sun, a closed car in the heat, and so on)
First aid: Place the dog in a cool place, in the shade, in a puddle, and finally cover it with a wet sheet. Drink water and apply ice or a bottle of water to the bridge of your nose. cold water. Your dog will most likely need the help of a qualified professional.

In this section I do not include diseases such as leptospirosis, piroplasmosis, and zoocoumarin poisoning. Since in these diseases, nosebleeds are not the main symptom and appear during the course of the disease itself.

Remember that nosebleeds are not common in dogs. If you observe a nosebleed in your dog, call your veterinarian immediately.

A sick pet is always a cause for concern for the owner. It becomes especially scary when there's blood coming out from the dog's nose, causing panic in the owner.

Causes of serious clinical sign there can be a large variety - from a simple injury to the nose and penetration into nasal cavity foreign bodies up to dangerous diseases hereditary type or oncology.

Only a qualified person can accurately diagnose and identify the cause of bleeding. veterinarian, based on the results of laboratory and instrumental studies.

When blood appears from a pet’s nose, the owner can only approximately determine the cause or location of the bleeding by assessing the extent of the damage.

The first thing you need to know is how to provide emergency assistance and immediately contact a veterinary hospital.

Bleeding may be acute or chronic form, one-sided or two-sided. As a rule, bilateral nosebleeds occur when there are serious lesions in the animal’s body systems, and blood loss from one sinus occurs more often as a result of severe injuries.

Causes

The causes of bleeding from the sinuses in dogs can be: various factors both external and internal in nature. In veterinary medicine, there are a number of main reasons, as a result of which the dog is walking nosebleed:

1. Coagulopathies. Diseases that are characterized by systemic disorder blood clotting processes. There are quite a lot of dogs suffering from this hereditary pathology. At the same time, the blood flows quite profusely and into certain cases may cause the death of the animal. Coagulopathy may occur as a result of complications after prolonged therapeutic activities to eliminate jaundice or general poisoning of the body (in contact with toxic substances to kill rodents).
2. Failure of renal structures. As a result of a serious disruption of the kidneys, the overall pressure in the body increases, which leads to injury and rupture of both large and small vessels, causing various bleedings.
3. Cushing's syndrome. Disease endocrine system, resulting from long-term processes of excessive production of hormonal substances by the adrenal cortex. Dogs of all breeds and ages are susceptible to the disease. But most often the disease is diagnosed in middle-aged and older animals, as well as in dog breeds - dachshunds, toy terriers, boxers and poodles.
4. Malignant neoplasms arising in various organs and systems. Most often, a dog's nose bleeds due to squamous cell or glandular cancer, as well as sarcoma.
5. Nose injuries, accompanied with strong blows and violation of integrity vascular walls located in the nasal cavity.
6. Infectious lesions of the body with fungal or bacterial infections. Typically, the cause of a dog sneezing blood is cryptococcosis, a yeast fungus that affects the upper Airways and pulmonary structures. In some cases, deep mycosis can affect not only the respiratory organs, but also the lymphatic and central nervous system, eyes and skin covering on the head.
7. Oral diseases accompanied by nosebleeds severe cough or an animal sneezing. Small vessels burst, which leads to leakage of blood, and with a strong cough, blood from the oral cavity enters the nasal passages.
8. Ailments genetic nature - arise as a result genetic predisposition and are accompanied by blood clotting disorders. Even with the slightest injury, a dog can bleed from one or two nostrils at once.
9. Sun or heatstroke. With prolonged exposure to thermal factors, pressure increases, blood vessels dilate and can be injured, which leads to bleeding from the nose.
10. Foreign body. A foreign object entering the nasal passages can cause severe nosebleeds. Damaging the mucous membrane and small vessels, a foreign body can cause breathing problems in the animal and is required immediate intervention veterinarian

A pet's nosebleeds can start suddenly, and the first thing the owner should do is calm down. If a dog is bleeding from the nose, it is necessary to isolate the animal, protecting it from possible stress and overexcitation, since increased pressure can provoke increased bleeding.

Next, you need to apply an ice pack to the bridge of the nose, which will reduce or stop bleeding by sharp narrowing injured vessels. It is important to analyze what could have caused the vascular injury (perhaps the animal was overheated, overexerted, or came into contact with rat poison). When visiting a veterinary clinic, this information will be extremely useful, allowing you to make further diagnostics more accurate.

If the animal is overexcited, it is not recommended to give it medication. sedatives, abruptly change the position of the body in the pet’s space, rinse the nose, or independently try to remove foreign objects in the nasal passages. It is important to contact a veterinarian as soon as possible, who will prescribe necessary tests and research. This will allow you to accurately determine the cause and exclude dangerous pathologies.

To make a diagnosis, instrumental and laboratory research, including:

• general blood and urine analysis (allows us to exclude the presence of inflammatory processes);
• X-ray examination is necessary to identify possible fractures or tumor processes;
• Rhinoscopy is performed to detect foreign bodies in the nasal cavity.

Nosebleeds in dogs should be treated comprehensively, depending on the underlying cause and accompanying symptoms. Therapy can be carried out in a hospital inpatient setting or on an outpatient basis.

First of all, in order to stop the bleeding, the animal is prescribed a number of medications:

• Hydrogen peroxide for soaking tampons inserted into the nasal cavity;
• Adrenaline subcutaneously;
• Calcium chloride (in the form of a dropper);
• Ephedrine subcutaneously;
• Vikasol intramuscularly;
• Desmopressin intravenously.

For bleeding disorders, therapy involves the use of blood replacement medications that stimulate normal platelet production.

If found in the nasal passages foreign object, it must be carefully removed. Depending on the degree of damage, manipulation is carried out under local anesthesia or general anesthesia.

Treatment of fungal infections of the nose includes the prescription of specific antimycotic medications. Diseases of the endocrine system that provoke the onset of nosebleeds are treated with hormonal drugs, and as a result of bacterial infections, antibiotics are used.

Prevention of nosebleeds from your pet involves a thorough and regular examination of your pet’s nasal passages after walks, especially in open areas or forests.

Prohibit your pet from contact with homeless and sick animals, and regularly treat them against fleas, ticks and helminths.

Plays an important role in the prevention of nosebleeds preventive diagnostics and clinical examination of the dog at the veterinary clinic.

This will allow timely detection of possible internal pathologies in the authorities and take measures to eliminate them.

A dog has a nosebleed - what to do, how to help to a pet? This question often worries dog breeders. It is important to understand that, like any living beings, dogs get sick. They cannot talk about the problem that worries them, so the owners find out about it when the consequences become irreversible. Bleeding may be a consequence of injury, exposure to sinus foreign object, or a serious, including hereditary disease.

The liquid may leak constantly (in this case, the problem will be difficult to miss), or individual drops will appear on the surface of objects surrounding the dog. In any case, the presence of blood is not normal. The dog must be taken to a veterinarian immediately.

Causes

Dog diseases have not been fully studied. There are many dangerous diseases that only experienced doctor. A nosebleed is the most likely sign:

Coagulopathies. Pathological condition animal body, characterized by a blood clotting disorder. Most often, the disease occurs in humans, but its signs can also be observed in purebred animals in whose bodies a genetic failure has occurred. Such a loss important function, how “blood clotting” can be a consequence of jaundice, or poisoning with rat poison.

Kidney failure. Often found in older dogs. The work of the kidneys to remove toxins from the body is interrupted. The consequence of this is water imbalance and increased blood pressure, manifested in the form of bleeding from the mouth and nose.

Cushing's syndrome in dogs. Is a consequence large quantity cortisol in the blood ( steroid hormone, participating in metabolic processes, is responsible for combating stressful situations). The hormone enters the bloodstream through the adrenal glands. An increase in its quantity leads to depletion of the body’s energy reserves and disruption of work. internal organs, including digestive system. The disease is most often diagnosed in old animals. Owners of dachshunds, poodles and boxers are at risk.

Development of a malignant tumor. Dogs, just like people, get cancer. An ailment that affects internal organs often causes bleeding. To avoid unpleasant surprise, pet owners should take them to the veterinarian at least once a year. The older the animal, the longer and more often these visits should be.

Hyperthyroidism. The disease is a consequence of an excess of thyroid hormones in the animal’s blood. In dogs, such a disease is rarely diagnosed (it is a complication of thyroid carcinoma), to a greater extent it is cat disease. This hormone is produced by the thyroid gland and leads to accelerated metabolism. One of the signs of hyperthyroidism is vomiting blood and nosebleeds. The animal loses weight, becomes lethargic and inactive.

Bacterial infection. The animal has a fever, has no appetite, sores and ulcers appear on the skin, coughing, runny nose and vomiting. More often bacterial infection caused by staphylococcal and streptococcal bacteria. The most common diseases among dogs are brucellosis and actinomycosis. Infection occurs through contact with other animals, ingestion of food and water.

The listed diseases may not be the only cause of bleeding from a dog’s nose. When making a diagnosis, the veterinarian must take into account the age, sex and breed of the animal. Eg, german shepherds, Dobermans, Airedales, Shelties and Scottish Terriers often fall victim to von Willebrand disease (characterized by spontaneous bleeding). A common cause of nosebleeds in Basset Hounds is blockage of blood clots; such magnificent animals as St. Bernards suffer from hemophilia.

First aid and diagnostics

Having discovered that the dog has nose goes blood, the owner of the animal is obliged:

• calm the pet down, pet it, give it a treat (blood may be the result of nervous overexcitation);
• place a cold compress on the bridge of the dog’s nose;
• if the bleeding does not stop, take the animal to the veterinarian.

Prohibited:

• give to the dog sedatives, intended for people;
• abruptly change the position of a sick animal;
• rinse your nose;
• try to remove a foreign object yourself.

When visiting the veterinarian you must:

• make a list of medications that the animal consumed in Lately;
• remember whether the dog came into contact with poisons for rats and mice, or ate rodents that could die as a result of the poison;
• produce visual inspection the animal for hematomas, tumors, enlargement of the nasal cavity (you must tell a specialist about any discrepancies found, this will speed up the diagnosis);
• remember whether the animal had contact with other dogs (perhaps damage to the nasopharynx occurred during play);
• remember where the dog has been walking recently (the injury could have been caused by contact with hard plant stems);
• remember if other signs of the disease were noticeable (sneezing, the dog rubbing its nose with its paw, whining).
• is he cold, does she have a cold?

If you don't know why your dog is bleeding from the nose, there is no need to panic. Perhaps nothing serious happened. To determine the causes of bleeding, the following diagnostic methods are used:

• A blood and urine test is performed (the presence of an inflammatory process, blood clotting disorders, and other diseases, the course of which is reflected in the composition of the substances taken for analysis, is determined);
• X-ray of the nasal cavity (allows us to identify a fracture, dislocation, tumor process);
• rhinoscopy (necessary to detect foreign objects);
• endoscopy (involves taking blood for biopsy; there is a risk of increased bleeding).

If the animal is injured, it should be handled with great care and taken to veterinary clinic as soon as possible.

Methods and methods of treatment

In a situation where a dog is bleeding from the nose without stopping, the veterinarian takes measures to stop it, and only after that makes a diagnosis and prescribes treatment. Depending on the complexity of the detected disease, the dog breeder may be offered inpatient or ambulatory treatment. IN severe cases surgical intervention is indicated.

Thus, coagulopathy is treated exclusively in inpatient conditions, at the same time, diseases associated with blood vessels are treated at home. To treat rhinitis, use a solution of Povidone or Clotrimazole. Cancerous tumors are treated with chemotherapy, and a bacterial infection with a course of antibiotics.

So that the treatment benefits the animal and promotes speedy recovery, necessary:

• limit the dog’s movements (put him on a leash, in a small enclosure)
• give the animal only those medicines which the veterinarian will prescribe;
• leave the dog alone, paying attention to it only when taking medicine and food (no games or sudden movements).

Treatment of animals is an individual process, therefore, if the nosebleed does not stop, you should not go to your neighbor, but call a veterinarian.

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Epistaxis is bleeding from the nasal passages that occurs when the vessels of the nasal cavity are damaged or blood clotting is impaired. There are acute and chronic bleeding. Epistakis can also be observed from one or both of the dog's nostrils. Pathology occurs in dogs different breeds, no gender predisposition was identified.

Epistaxis can be associated with serious diseases that require immediate medical correction. If you notice nosebleeds in your pet, you should immediately contact the clinic!

Signs

The clinical picture may include:

• blood flowing from a dog's nostrils;
• sneezing accompanied by splashing blood clots;
• swelling of the nose, muzzle;
• noisy breathing;
• odor from the nasal and oral cavity;
• black stools (associated with ingestion and digestion of blood from the nose).

With systemic problems (blood clotting disorders), multiple petechiae (hemorrhages on the skin), bleeding gums, blood in the stool, vomit, etc. may occur.

Causes

Local pathological processes:

Systemic pathologies:

• Associated with bleeding disorders: DIC syndrome, poisoning with rodenticides (rat poison), thrombocytopenia (decreased number of platelets in the blood), thrombocytopathy (platelet pathology), deficiency of coagulation factors (von Willebrand disease).
• Arterial hypertension - strong increase blood pressure may be accompanied by nasal bleeding and damage to the walls of blood vessels.
• Increased blood viscosity (increased protein concentration in multiple myeloma).

Diagnostics

At the appointment, the doctor carefully examines the patient and collects anamnesis. If there was an episode of injury, the owner should inform the doctor about it. The dog's oral cavity is examined to identify diseased teeth, severe inflammation gums If the root of a tooth is damaged or an abscess forms, a nasooral fistula may occur (a pathological canal between the nasal and oral cavity). If necessary, an X-ray of the jaw is taken, which allows you to identify hidden problems.

Mandatory laboratory diagnostics, including general clinical and biochemical analysis blood, as well as a coagulogram. This allows us to identify systemic problems, causing disturbance blood clotting. The study is especially relevant when detecting petechiae (capillary hemorrhages) on the skin, bleeding gums, intraperitoneal bleeding, blood in the stool or hematemesis.

Treatment

Our health four-legged pets Often it bothers us no less than our own, which is why we perceive any problem with excitement and a desire to get rid of it as quickly as possible unpleasant symptom. One such reason that worries owners is nosebleeds - a situation when blood flows out of the animal's nasal passages or blood clots fly out.

Causes of nosebleeds

Bleeding can be either sharp and profuse, or mild, occurring from time to time. In the first case they talk about acute form, in the second - about problems that are chronic. Regardless of the form, bleeding in dogs can occur for the following reasons:

• Injury. Occurs in case of damage to the soft and bone tissues of the head as a result of an impact, a fall from high altitude or . In this case, bleeding is accompanied by swelling and visible abrasions. To ease your dog's condition, we recommend that you lay your pet down so that his head rests on his paws. The danger of this condition is that it is often internal damage much more dangerous than external ones, which is why the dog should be shown to a doctor as quickly as possible.
• Heatstroke. Long stay in a stuffy room or can also lead to bleeding from the nasal passages. I would like to say that this symptom is in this case not the most dangerous and subsequent exposure to the heat can result in coma and even death of the dog. The animal should be immediately removed to a cool place, covered with a damp sheet, given a drink and a bottle of cool water placed on the bridge of the nose.
• Old age. Intracranial pressure, as well as the fragility of blood vessels caused by, can also lead to bleeding. In this case, we recommend that you do not self-medicate, but consult a doctor who will prescribe maintenance therapy.
• Poisoning., as well as a number of other toxic compounds, leads to the destruction of blood vessels and blocking blood clotting. If you suspect that your pet may have eaten rat poison or eat a poisoned rodent, immediately induce vomiting in the dog and immediately contact a veterinary clinic.
• Ostyug. cover fields and lawns in abundance in June-July, often inhaled by dogs and bitten into soft fabrics nose, causing swelling and suppuration. If the problem is getting Ostyug or another into the nasal passage foreign body, blood, and subsequently pus, will come from only one damaged nostril.
• Malignant neoplasms.
  Development squamous cell carcinoma or also destroys or compresses blood vessels. Alas, in this case it is most often impossible to help the animal, but you can significantly prolong its life and relieve it from excruciating pain with specially selected therapy.
• Endocrine pathologies. Hyperfunction thyroid gland or increased secretion adrenal glands of the hormone cortisol - also common reason Problems. Such symptoms can occur under different autoimmune diseases, for example, Cushing's syndrome.
• Infectious diseases. Inflammatory processes in the nose caused by bacteria and viruses, as well as foci of fungal diseases can also manifest as nosebleeds.
• Mechanical irritation. The nasal mucosa is rich blood vessels and at the same time quite tender. Any scratch, even the smallest one, often causes profuse bleeding.
• Oral problems. or gum disease can cause this heavy bleeding that some of the blood will come out through the nose. In this case, the dog often coughs, choking on blood.
• Genetic diseases. There are many conditions in which blood clotting is impaired. Most of these disorders are specific to a specific breed, such as thrombosthenia in Otterhounds or von Willebrandt coagulopathy in Dobermans and Shelties. With this diagnosis, bleeding occurs quite often, and owners have difficulty stopping the bleeding. Without qualified help, dogs can even bleed and die, and animals whose body weight does not exceed 5 kg are at risk.
• Kidney failure. Increased arterial pressure, which is a symptom of this pathology, creates a large load on the vessels, leading to microtraumas and ruptures. In addition to nosebleeds, this disease is accompanied by general lethargy of the animal, thirst and quick loss weight.
• for medicines. Well antibacterial drugs or chemotherapy can lead to increased fragility of the vessels in the nose and permanent injuries accompanied by blood loss.
• Avitaminosis. Deficiency of vitamin K (phylloquinone) leads to a decrease in the formation of prothrombin and, as a result, damage to small capillaries, which are rich in the nasal mucosa. Fortunately, such vitamin deficiency is observed quite rarely in dogs and most often occurs as a consequence general violation metabolism.

What to do?

It is quite difficult to determine the cause of bleeding by eye. This can be done by contacting a specialist and analyzing a number of associated symptoms. However, the first thing the owner must do is try to stop the bleeding. Here is an action algorithm that will help you not get confused in an extreme situation:

• Calm down. Your panic, as you know, is immediately transmitted to the animal, and excitement increases the pet’s blood pressure. And, as a result, bleeding increases, despite the measures taken.
• Cool. Cold compress on the bridge of the nose will lead to vasoconstriction and blood stoppage. In order for the effect of the compress to be stronger, try to fix the animal motionless and hold it for several minutes, without pressing the ice too hard to the head.
• Inspect. Now that first aid has been provided, it’s time to conduct a preliminary examination of the dog. First, dry your face thoroughly. wet wipe, getting rid of traces of blood and inspect the bridge of the nose and nasal passages for swelling, damage and the presence of foreign bodies. If it is clear what the problem is, you can alleviate the dog’s condition yourself, for example, by treating a wound or removing a splinter from the nose. But you need to do this only if you are completely confident in yourself and the correctness of your actions. If you have the slightest doubt, entrust the treatment to a specialist.
• Do not touch the crusts. Very often, crusts form in the dog’s nose, preventing free breathing. Do not be afraid that your pet experiences discomfort when breathing with its mouth - this process is quite natural for animals. Small scabs of dried blood not only prevent the dog from breathing, but also act as a natural blockage damaged vessel and stop bleeding.
• Take him to the clinic. Even if the bleeding has stopped and general state your pet does not inspire suspicion, be sure to show it to the veterinarian. Bleeding is often a symptom of quite serious illnesses, which can only be diagnosed by a specialist.

Additional symptoms

Most often, nosebleeds appear suddenly, and owners are at a loss, not knowing what is causing the bleeding. However, if you carefully observe your pet, you will find several others, obvious or hidden signs, which will help significantly facilitate subsequent diagnosis. What should you pay attention to during a self-examination?

• Asymmetry and deformation of the animal's muzzle. Possible bruising and swelling indicate traumatic cause bleeding. In this case, the doctor should pay attention to the presence of other injuries - possible fractures or hematomas.
• Paleness of the mucous membranes. Pale color of the conjunctiva of the eye and mucous membranes of the mouth may be a sign of large blood loss caused by internal bleeding.
• Vomiting blood and black stools. These symptoms also indicate damage to internal organs and excessive internal bleeding.
• Continuous sneezing. With the help of this physiological process the animal tries to clear the nasal passages of blood and ease breathing. Most often this indicates that bleeding it's already underway for a long time non-stop and not only the dog’s nose, but also the dog’s mouth is full of blood. This often happens with hemophilia or other pathologies in which the blood clotting process is slowed down.
• Heavy breathing and loss of consciousness. If this happens in the warm season or in a stuffy room, most likely we are dealing with heat stroke or overheating in the sun.
• Restlessness, attempts to rub his face with his paws. This is a sign of a foreign body in the nose or mouth. Carefully examine your pet by looking into the nasal passages with a flashlight. If the foreign body is far away, do not try to pull it out yourself - you may drive it even deeper. The veterinarian, using special tools, can easily remove both the splinter and the foreign object.
• Swelling of the skin. If, when pressing on the dog’s paw or side, the hole from the toe does not straighten out immediately, we can talk about swelling of the soft tissues, indicating problems with the kidneys.

Diagnosis and treatment

To diagnose your dog, the doctor will need as much information about the animal as possible. It would be good if, after conducting a preliminary inspection, you immediately inform him about additional symptoms accompanying bleeding. In addition, for the diagnosis to be as accurate as possible, the doctor will need to prescribe a series of laboratory examinations, clarifying the picture:

• Urine and blood tests (including tests for genetic pathologies), as well as serological tests that determine the presence of specific proteins in the blood serum.
• Rhinoscopy, which allows you to closely examine the sinus area.
• X-ray of the nasal passages and chest cavity. In the first case, the suspicion of the presence of malignant neoplasms in the nasopharynx, in the second you can find out the presence of internal bleeding.
• Endoscopy, in which material is taken from the nasal mucosa for biopsy.
• to remove a foreign body or benign neoplasm.

To treat the condition, hemostatic agents are used primarily. medications, designed to speed up blood clotting, as well as various medications designed to eliminate the very cause of bleeding.

In case of large blood losses, the animal is indicated for blood transfusion and supportive therapy to restore strength.

When endocrine disorders good effect provides hormone therapy, which should only be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.

Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent nosebleeds, but a quick and correct response to similar symptom- a guarantee that for you the problem will end with a slight fright, and your health four-legged friend will not be seriously injured.

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