By Alan Green with Heather Graham

There are some things pet owners take for granted and never hear much about. A common comment concerns a pet’s nose being cool or warm and therefore there is or isn’t a concern depending on the temperature of the nose. That is another pet myth, uncovered this month by my outstanding colleague, Dr. Heather Graham. Dr. Graham is CVRCs board certified internal medicine specialist and sees and treats a myriad of complex conditions.

Sniffles, sneezes and snotty noses — does my pet have a cold? Probably not … though dogs and cats can contract viruses that lead to such symptoms, these are far less common than in humans, particularly in adult animals whose immune systems are fully matured. The conditions that can cause nasal disease are numerous, including everything from allergies and infections to tumors. Depending on the pet’s age and the characteristics of their condition, we can often narrow this list down to a few probable culprits using our most important diagnostic tools — patient history and physical examination findings.

Your veterinarian will need a detailed account of what you are seeing at home. Is there sneezing or reverse sneezing (a noisy moving of air backwards that is often confused with a seizure)? This can help us localize the problem in the nasal passage. Is there ocular discharge and is it from one or both eyes? Some conditions that affect the nasal passage can cause inflammation of the eye, the tissues around the eye and/or the tear duct; some nasal diseases can block the nasolacrimal duct altogether leading to excessive tearing of one or both eyes. How long have the symptoms been present? Is there nasal discharge? If so, what does it look like? Is the discharge coming from one side or both? Certain conditions more commonly affect only one side of the nose, at least initially. These include foreign bodies (grass is one of the more common ones), tooth root abscess leading to acquired fistulae, tumors and fungal infections.

Diseases with bilateral signs can be broadly divided into structural (acquired or congenital conditions), infectious (viral, parasitic, progressed fungal disease) and inflammatory (allergic, autoimmune). In young animals, congenital conditions and immunodeficiency syndromes are considerations, as are infectious diseases — in particular viral agents that can infect animals with weak immune systems. Be sure to note any other symptoms, such as any signs of gastrointestinal upset (vomiting, diarrhea, poor appetite), coughing, or neurologic change (seizures, tremors, loss of balance), as these can help differentiate if the condition is simply localized to the nasal passages or if it might be a reflection of a systemic disease process or immunodeficiency.

In adult animals, the causes of bilateral nasal disease are more extensive, but concerns can be prioritized: If there is obstruction to airflow, we become more concerned about polyps (uncommon in dogs, more common in cats), tumors, or stricture formation (scar tissue blocking the nasal passage). If the nasal discharge is bloody, we need to first confirm that there is not a systemic cause for this (hypertension, clotting disorder, blood disorders leading to increased blood viscosity, disease of the blood vessels themselves) before focusing on local nasal diseases that more commonly lead to hemorrhage (tumors, fungal infections, oronasal fistulas, severe inflammation, nasal trauma).

Once we have narrowed down our list of possibilities, diagnostic and treatment options can be discussed with your veterinarian. If the symptoms are mild, a therapeutic trial —potentially including treatment for allergies, nasal mites, viral infections and/or secondary bacterial infections — may be a reasonable first step. However, if symptoms are severe — including obstruction of airflow, bloody discharge, facial deformity and/or pain, fever, loss of appetite — a more proactive diagnostic and therapeutic plan may be in order. A thorough examination, blood pressure measurement and lab work will likely be needed first. In some cases, x-rays can be helpful, but images of the nose often fail to provide the amount of detail needed to assess the nasal passages and sinuses.

Due to these limitations, nasal CT (computed tomography) is the preferred imaging method. Often CT can be combined with endoscopy to obtain biopsies and retrieve foreign bodies. In some cases, endoscopy may be performed in lieu of a CT scan. Biopsies and swabs may be collected for testing while your pet is anesthetized, with the intent of identifying the cause for their symptoms so that we might better control the disease through medical intervention.

Nobody likes a snotty sniffle nose, so keep in mind that there are options for your pet!