[Taylor C]

Reaching out on here because I’m at a loss on what to do. About a month and a half ago my dog (8ish year old chihuahua cross) started having small sneezing fits as well as “reverse sneezing” with unilateral discharge. I had an appointment anyways to get some pretty major dental work done and upon initial examination the vet found an infection in her mouth which he attributed the sneezing to. She was put on 2 weeks of amoxicillin and healed up great from surgery however the runny nose did not go away, it seemingly got worse. About a week later I took her in for an X-Ray as I was still worried and it came back clear, she was also given another antibiotic which did not work. The vet then suggested a rhinoscopy which I went ahead with. The specialist told me her nasal passages were too small and too swollen to scope but he flushed her nasal passages and she was given yet ANOTHER antibiotic and a steroid to reduce inflammation. The histopathology results from the cells they flushed from her nose came back as nothing alarming, just red blood cells and epithelial cells from her nose. She did alright for a couple days after the scope and now it’s back to bloody, green discharge from her right nostril, difficulty breathing, sneezing, reverse sneezing. My next step is a CT scan however I have to wait a week after she finishes her steroid or else a false negative may arise if they do perform a biopsy and this is also the 3rd time she would be sedated in less than two months which I know is very hard on older dogs. I’m just at a loss as to what’s going on and I don’t know how no one can figure out what’s going on. I’ve tried steaming her in my shower, benadryll and natural allergy drops with absolutely no avail. I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything similar with their dog or if they know anything else I could try to reduce the swelling and inflammation in her nasal passages. I would also like to note she has not lost her appetite or energy during all of this, she’s acting just like herself minus the struggling to get air in through her nose. Any advice would help 🙁

[Patricia A]

Taylor I’m so sorry that after all treatments and test she still has these health issues. You wrote that her discharge is unilateral. I would think this is very telling to the vet. All those antibiotics and still no relief. Don’t know why when the vet couldn’t do the rhinoscopy he prescribed even MORE instead of going right to CT scan which hopefully give the true cause of her suffering and finally correct treatment.
This is a long shot but has anything changed in the way of detergents , air fresheners or scented candles in the home. I know many dogs have severe symptoms from the plug in diffuses. When did her symptoms start. Could it be an allergic reaction to one of the common allergies outside at this time of year? But again, I’m thinking you said discharge is only one side of nose and I would think that if it were an allergy or infection it would be bilateral.
Please post when you get results of CT scan.I hope a reason and hence treatment.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by Patricia A.

[Taylor C]

Her sneezing started about a month and a half to two months ago so around the beginning of July. I thought maybe it could be due to allergies as I live in western Canada and our summer doesn’t really start until then but the unilateral discharge and the colour of it worries me. Nothing has changed in the house, I don’t smoke or vape and I live alone so she’s never around anything like that. As soon as her symptoms started I washed her bedding and made sure her crate was vacuumed and nothing has changed. I’ve also tried using benadryll and natural allergy drops, they made a VERY minute difference in discharge and sneezing but not enough to consider her condition to be allergies.
I was also very frustrated that they did not suggest doing a CT in the first place as I’ve already spent over $3000 on her in the last month and a half and I am a bartender (who doesn’t make very much) and I haven’t worked in the last 4.5 months due to COVID.
I’m in the process of booking her CT scan right now for hopefully this weekend so I’ll let you know what they find.
Part of me has a feeling that it’s going to be the worst case scenario, cancer … but the other part of me has hopes that it’s maybe something treatable as she’s still her normal, loveable self.
Cross your fingers for me that she’s okay, I don’t know what I would do without her 🙁

[Patricia A]

Taylor your dog is blessed to have you as her owner. You’re doing everything you can.

You mentioned dental work for tooth decay. Can you please mention this to your vet and see if this fits her symptoms. I came across tons of posts with the unilateral discharge with tooth decay and treatment. ORAL FISTULA and it does fit her symptoms.

Oronasal Fistula

An oronasal fistula is an opening or communication between the oral and nasal cavity. This occurs secondary to periodontal disease or loss of any maxillary (upper) teeth, most commonly the canine tooth. Signs of this condition include sneezing, nasal discharge, and bad breath odor.

Oronasal fistula needs to be evaluated with dental x-rays for impacted tooth/root structures. Surgical repair is accomplished with a gingival flap, debridement of the site, preservation of blood supply to the flap and tension-free closure of the site for good healing.
written on one of many forums Typically oronasal fistulas are repaired once the local infection has cleared, some of the tissue has healed, and some granulation (scar) tissue has had time to fill in. Some (smaller) ones will self-correct (fill in with granulation tissue on their own). Typically except with HUGE ones, you can’t see up into the nasal cavity, rather they are detected by chronic nasal discharge, small amounts of food or debris reaching the nostrils, etc. Because they are located above (ahead of) the pharynx, having an oronasal fistula is not typically much of a risk for creating aspiration. So, talk to your vet, have it evaluated, and have it repaired at the appropriate time. Like so many things, this is one procedure where you would want to ask your vet very directly what their success rate is in fixing them, and possibly ask for a referral. Performing the surgical flaps that allow these to close correctly is not difficult, but it is often outside the range of training of the average vet. The rate of surgical failure if very high if you don’t know exactly what you are doing. Good luck.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by Patricia A.

[Taylor C]

I just wanted to let you know that we had her CT scan done last Monday and on Thursday evening the vet had called me back with some extremely devastating news … she had a large mass in her right nasal cavity that had migrated up to her cranial area as well as a lump in her lymph node (on the same side) that was almost positively cancerous. The steroids stopped working and the cancer had started to push everything from her right side over to her left so she lost the use of her left nasal passage. I tried tumeric, CBD drops, herbs specifically meant to fight cancer and it was all in vain, there was no turning back for her. I made the hardest decision of my life on Sunday evening to finally put her to sleep. She was struggling and I couldn’t watch her suffer anymore, she deserved peace. If there’s anyone on here who is currently struggling with the same symptoms in your fur babies I urge you to go straight to a CT scan. What breaks my heart is that I tried treatment and after treatment with no avail because it was masked as “allergies” or a “foreign body” and maybe, just maybe if I had of caught it early I could have turned things around. Just wanted to give you and update in hopes that this maybe can help someone else.

[Patricia A]

Taylor I am SO VERY sorry for your loss . My heart goes out to you. There was NOTHING that you could have done differently.I lost my dog to a vets misdiagnosis and know the pain and frustration.
You did the right thing to not prolong her suffering. Nothing can stop the tears but just remember how much love you gave her and that she had the perfect person to have as her owner. Nothing stops the tears.
Again I am SO sorry to hear this. Prayers for you and your much loved pup.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by Patricia A.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 7 months ago by Patricia A.

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