What is Nose Bleed?
If your dog suddenly begins to bleed from the nose, remain calm. It is important to keep your pet quiet and relaxed in order to prevent the nose from bleeding more intensely. You may put an icepack on the bridge of your dog’s nose to slow down or stop the flow of blood. Contact your veterinarian promptly to have your dog seen. Trauma to the snout or an upper respiratory infection can cause the nose to bleed. Your pet may also have an underlying problem such as a tumor; taking your pet to the veterinarian is important.
Nose bleed in dogs (epistaxis) is an outflow of blood from the nostril, nasopharynx or nasal cavity. Immediate veterinary care is recommended to diagnose the cause quickly.
Nose Bleed Average Cost
From 36 quotes ranging from $200 - $15,000
Average Cost
$1,500
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Symptoms of Nose Bleed in Dogs
- Slow drips or a continuous flow of blood from your dog’s nose
- Continuous pawing at nose
- Vomit (unusual dark color)
- Swelling
- The appearance of the skin around the nose
- New, unusual behavior, such as increased whining or crying but on most occasions, a bloody nose may be the only noticeable symptom and should be better inspected by a veterinarian.
Causes of Nose Bleed in Dogs
There can be numerous probable causes for epistaxis, which must rule out to ensure the health of your dog:
- Mild or severe trauma to the snout
- High blood pressure
- Dental disease
- Presence of a tumor
- Coagulation problem
- The presence of a foreign body lodged in the nose
- Certain cancers
- Ingestion of rat poison
- Fungal infection
- Certain tick-borne diseases
- Issues with blood proteins
Diagnosis of Nose Bleed in Dogs
Your veterinarian will begin to diagnose the reason why your pet has bleeding from the nose after acquiring and evaluating your dog’s recent medical history. She will inquire about medications your pet may be taking and whether you have noticed any unusual bleeding prior to this event. If there has been a trauma to your dog’s nose, advise the veterinarian. Other information to relay would be if you have used any poisons or pesticides in your yard, or whether your dog has been exposed to any rodents recently. Your veterinarian will also want to know if the stools have been normal.
An examination will include checking the appearance of the area around the nose and the gums. Your veterinarian will look for evidence of pain or facial swelling, and check the condition of the eyes, looking for redness or abnormalities.
Your veterinarian will likely order a CBC, blood chemistry and clotting profile to check for anemia along with other potential issues, such as organ damage. She may want to do a radiograph (x-ray) to look for evidence of internal bleeding. Other tests, such as MRI or bone marrow analysis may be required, depending on findings from the initial examination.
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Treatment of Nose Bleed in Dogs
Treatment will begin with returning your pet to a better immediate state of health. Ensuring that your dog can breathe properly and has not lost too much blood are two important considerations. Treatment for blood loss may be required. Upon leaving the clinic, you will be asked to carefully monitor your pet’s activity levels, appetite and general demeanor over the coming days.
Treatment will vary depending on the underlying cause of the nose bleed. If your pet is suffering from a fungal infection, nasal aspiration and antifungal medication may be necessary. If a foreign object is lodged in the nose, the prognosis is typically good once the object has been removed. Other illnesses such as a tumor, cancer or tick borne illness will require more invasive investigation and treatment. Infections will likely require antibiotics.
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Recovery of Nose Bleed in Dogs
Successful recovery and management for your pet depend upon the origin of the nose bleed. Complete cessation of the bleeding, continued normal vital signs, and the return to usual behaviors are the desired goals.
Dental issues, infection, and the removal of a foreign object all allow for a favorable recovery. If there is the diagnosis of an underlying illness that continues to progress, the recovery will be more difficult and treatment will be more extensive. The possibility of an illness progressing to an untreatable stage exists also. For example, the presence of a tumor or cancerous growth in the nasal cavity or skull would result in a poor prognosis for recovery.
Nose Bleed Average Cost
From 36 quotes ranging from $200 - $15,000
Average Cost
$1,500
Top
Nose Bleed Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Boston Terrier
1 year and a half
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Nose Bleed
My dog ran into my leg when u held his ball under my foot to kick across the room
July 13, 2020
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
He may have gotten a nosebleed from the trauma, and it may be resolved quickly. If it is not getting better, it would be best to have him seen by a veterinarian. I hope that he is okay.
July 13, 2020
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Labrador whippet
Zoe
4 Years
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Gagging
Coughing,
Pain In Nose
My dog zoe started coughing a couple of months ago then she had an episode where she was spraying blood everywhere Chocking on her blood. She was taken to after hours. Blood tests were done no poison and get blood is clotting. Went back to our vet the next day after she had sneezed out a stone. The bleeding stopped and we thought she was fine. 4 wks later and the bleeding started again. Swabs and samples were taken xrays done. Turning up nothing aside from a possible abnormality of her nasal bone. According to the radiographer.
We are currently waiting on a fungal culture that has been culturing for 1.5 wks and still negative. They also did nasal flushes and had a good look up her nose and down her thrher and only saw inflammation and infection. Said it was secondary and are treating with antibiotics. She seems to be worse day 4 of antibiotics and she is bleeding daily now and coughing often. We won't treat for something unless we know it's what it is due to finances being used up quickly trying to get diagnosis. Need help knowing what's going on or at least what it most likely is please
Sept. 13, 2018
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Labrador Retriever
Sadie
10 Years
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Disorientation
Twitching
Uti
Bloody Nose
Blood Shot Eyes (Sometimes)
Hi,
My wife and I have a 10 year old lab-mix. Recently she had really droopy, blood-shot and gunky eyes. We freaked out and took her to the vet and after some tests the only thing that they could determine was conjunctivitis. We started her on eye cream twice daily and it started to get better but has gone in/out. The next day after visiting the vet we realized she was sneezing and spraying blood everywyere. We took her back and after examination they could not determine anything and just figured it was related to the conjunctivits. It seemed to get better. Earlier this week she started spraying blood all-over again and we took her back to the vet for blood work which all came back normal but our dog does have a UTI. The vet then reccomeneded a ultrasound, but has no idea what is causing the bloody nose. We took her to another vet for a second opinion and also can not figure out the connection and suggests we go to a specialist OR start her on steroids. One other weird sympton is that she has been somewhat disoriented and leans her head to the right and sometimes twitches.
We love our dog but do not have the money to go through all sorts of tests to receive no explanation. If someone could tell us "it is this" then we would be better suited to make decisions. We just don't know if we can do ultrasounds and CT scans and still not receive an answer to what the issue is or worse find out that it is cancer/tumor/etc. As a 10 year old lab, she is doing great outside of the bloody nose and being a little bit slow to move around. She is still barking at cats and wants to play even though she can't.
Does anyone have any words of advice, thoughts, been through a similar situation?!
July 30, 2018
1 Recommendations
There are many possible causes for nosebleeds and it may be just some fragile capillaries from the upper respiratory tract infection, however I cannot say for certain; any infection should be treated with antibiotics and the Chinese herb yunnan baiyao may help with the nosebleeds. Without examining Sadie and possibly doing some tests no one can say for certain whether it is just a ruptured capillary, tumour, foreign object, dental disorder, clotting disorder or another cause and Sadie’s condition cannot be diagnosed based on other people’s past experiences as there are many causes. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 31, 2018
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Dachshund
Ellie
13 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Nose Bleeding
Nose Bleeding, Walking Fine.
What could possibly be wrong with her? We have no vets office open until Monday morning. I don't know what to do to help her. She has no injuries that I am aware of. She's acting fine, she's laying in her bed sleepimy right now. Please help.
July 6, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Ellie may have an infection, a trauma, a bleeding disorder, of a tumor that is making her nose bleed. Without seeing her, I can't determine what might be going on. If her nose has stopped bleeding, it would be best to have her seen Monday to follow up and find out what is happening. If her nose is continuing to bleed, your veterinarian should have a 24 hour number that you can call to have her seen.
July 7, 2018
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Nose Bleed Average Cost
From 36 quotes ranging from $200 - $15,000
Average Cost
$1,500
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Easily compare quotes from the most trusted pet insurance companies in the United States.
