Every dog owner understands that it is inevitable for their children to have minor illnesses.
Minor illness or not depends on the condition and condition of the baby. For example, many people think that nosebleeds / nosebleeds in dogs are similar to humans and that just first aid to stop the bleeding is enough.
In some cases, if you let your baby’s nosebleed last for a long time and don’t seek treatment, the baby can be in danger. So let’s learn about the causes of nosebleeds in dogs.
Nosebleeds on dogs
For those who have long-term dog owners and have a lot of knowledge about pets, they will know that children are often susceptible to diseases such as diarrhea and vomiting, but nosebleeds / nosebleeds rarely happen and if they do. If this happens, take the baby to the vet immediately after giving first aid.
Because nosebleeds in dogs are rare, owners often feel confused in handling and caring for their pets.
Do you know what causes nosebleeds and how to give first aid at home? Let’s read on.
Causes of nosebleeds in dogs
When you see blood in your baby’s nose, you need to immediately consider the following possible causes:
- Causes of bleeding on one side of the nose: foreign objects cause nasal irritation; tooth abscess causing nosebleeds with swelling of the eye or bridge of the nose; hump in the nose
- Causes of bleeding on both sides of the nose: insects or foreign objects cause sneezing and make the dog constantly scratch the nose area; ingesting rat poison/poison or ingesting contaminated animals; due to drug treatment; blood clotting disorders; autoimmune disorders; blood parasitic infections transmitted by ticks; fungal infection in the nose.
Puppies who love to explore around the house may be more at risk of nosebleeds from poisoning, while middle-aged and older dogs are more at risk for an autoimmune disease that can cause bleeding. orange blood.
Common causes of nose bleeds:
Due to strong impact or trauma to the nose area
Dogs are often very active and owners cannot keep an eye on them 24/7, right?
Therefore, while running, children may accidentally bump into something. The impact, especially in the area around the nose can cause internal damage to babies.
And this is one of the common causes of nosebleeds in dogs.
Dog has a fungal infection
Aspergillus Fumigatus and Penicillium are both harmful to your dog.
If the baby has a fungus, the baby will have a phenomenon of blowing his nose with blood.
Complicating matters is the fact that nasal tumors make dogs susceptible to fungal infections, so it’s easy for dogs to have both problems in the same nose.
Compared to other causes, identifying these harmful fungi is not easy without the help of a veterinarian and some screening tests.
Blastomyces dermatitidis is another fungus that can get into a dog’s nose. A urine antigen test is accurate for diagnosis and also a blood test if the results are equivocal. As with other fungi, treatment is long and challenging for veterinarians and owners.
Dog has dog ticks
Dog ticks are a type of ectoparasites on the body of dogs.
Most pet owners will bathe their baby 1-2 times per week as advised by their veterinarian.
However, this also does not guarantee that there are no dog ticks on the baby’s body.
Sometimes, dog ticks do not parasitize outside the body, but can be inside the dog’s nasal cavity.
Over time, parasitic dog ticks begin to multiply and put pressure on the capillary walls. Too much pressure causes capillaries to burst and causes constant nosebleeds in babies.
Dog ticks can also bite and transmit blood-borne parasites to dogs, leading to nosebleeds/nosebleeds.
Parasitic blood sugar disease is a condition caused by protozoan parasites of the genera Ehrlichia Canis, Babesia, Trypanosoma, and Anaplasma. The cause of blood parasites is through cross-transmission through tick bites or direct transmission through blood transfusion between an infected baby and a healthy baby.
The average incubation period is about two weeks, but the symptoms of blood parasites in dogs are often not obvious, especially in some cases dogs can even incubation for several months to several years.
Symptoms of dog infection with blood sugar parasites:
- Fever, anorexia, anorexia, fatigue, sedentary.
- Weight loss, cough.
- Unusual bleeding (eg, nosebleeds, bleeding under the skin – looks like small spots or bruises).
- Watery eyes and/or runny nose.
- Vomiting and diarrhea.
- Neurological symptoms (eg, motor neurone disorders, depression, paralysis, etc.)
Tick-borne infections (Ehrlichia, Babesia, and others) are often associated with low platelet counts. Platelets are blood cells involved in blood clotting, and when infected with parasites in the blood, they will not work properly in the clotting process, resulting in nosebleeds and difficulty stopping bleeding.
Eating the wrong bait or rat poison / toxic chemicals in the house
When eating these substances by mistake, the blood of the puppies will fall into a state of difficulty in clotting. Therefore, they easily cause dogs to have a continuous and prolonged bloody nose.
Heredity
Dogs with nosebleeds / nosebleeds inherited from their parents are rare but you should also be careful.
If the baby’s parents have a history of this disease, the 8th clotting factor in the puppies will be defective.
From there, the creation of fibrin fibers, which are responsible for binding red blood cells together, is affected. When there is an injury. The baby’s blood will bleed continuously because the blood is difficult to clot.
Other possible causes of nosebleeds in dogs include:
- Inflammation of unknown cause
- Von Willebrand Disease
Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherd, Golden Retrievers, Miniature Schnauzers, Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Shetland Sheepdogs, Basset Hounds, Scottish Terriers, Standard Poodles and Standard Manchester Terriers are the breeds most likely to have a congenital blood clotting disorder known as Von Willebrand disease. However, this disease is hereditary, so owners of this breed should inquire about the prevalence of this disease in their lineage if purchasing from a breeder. - Liver failure
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)
Due to problems related to protein levels in the dog’s blood. - Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)
- Bone marrow disease
- Reactions to medications (methimazole, chemotherapy drugs, estrogens, sulfa antibiotics)
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (flea disease)
- Dental disease
- High blood pressure
Another relatively simple parameter to measure is blood pressure. High blood pressure can occur as a complication of many diseases. As blood pressure rises, small blood vessels begin to burst and bleed, not only in the nose but often in the eyes or nervous system. Don’t be surprised if your vet checks your dog for retinal hemorrhages. - Presence of foreign body in nose
- Or due to an allergy to a certain ingredient appearing in the environment, for example: reeds, pollen… or parasitic insects, causing the dog to sneeze or scratch too much, the mucous membranes The nose wall is damaged and bleeding
- Hemangioma
- Other cancers, especially cancers of the nasal passages and skull.
Nasal tumors are a common cause of nosebleeds in older dogs, and the bone destruction they cause is evident on radiographs.
In a study by Bissett et al., published in the December 15, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Association, 176 cases of dog nosebleeds were reviewed to determine which underlying cause was most common. most variable. Of these 176 dogs, an identifiable underlying cause was found in 115 cases.
- 30% have a tumor in the nose
- 29% got injured
- 17% have rhinitis of unknown cause (idiopathic rhinitis)
- 10% have low platelets
- 3% have some other clotting abnormality
- 2% have high blood pressure
- 2% have tooth abscess
How to handle and treat dogs with nosebleeds / nosebleeds
The first thing is that the owner must be very calm and help the baby reduce stress and fear, anxiety because when the baby is agitated, it will increase blood pressure and make blood flow more.
Apply an ice pack to the bridge of your nose
With short muzzle dogs (Pug, Bulldog, Perkingese…) can put ice packs in front of the nose. The cold will constrict small blood vessels and help reduce bleeding.
Then take your baby to the vet right away. Your veterinarian will do a physical examination and perform some necessary tests to find out the underlying cause (if any) to effectively treat your baby’s illness.
Note that the baby can swallow a lot of blood, so after a while, he may vomit blood clots or pass black stools. These symptoms are common and are not caused by gastrointestinal bleeding, so don’t worry.
It’s best not to try to stuff absorbent material or a Q-tip into your pet’s nose as this will cause sneezing, which can worsen bleeding.
If your baby has a nosebleed, take him to the vet immediately after stopping the bleeding
As we have recommended, take your baby to the vet as soon as you have stopped the bleeding to examine and screen for the cause.
How to diagnose the cause of nosebleeds?
In addition to the physical examination, your veterinarian may recommend additional tests to provide an accurate diagnosis, depending on the circumstances:
- A complete blood count test to determine anemia, platelet count..
In particular, a platelet count (a blood cell involved in blood clotting) will be needed as well as coagulation tests (tests) Common tests are “PT” or prothrombin, “PTT” or partial thromboplastin “ACT” or activated clotting time). These tests evaluate a very complex biochemical formula that is responsible for the blood clotting of the dog. - Blood biochemical tests to assess liver and kidney function, electrolytes, blood protein levels, etc.
- Urinalysis to determine if there is blood in the urine or other abnormalities.
- X-ray examination of the nose, pharynx, pharynx, chest area, if necessary, nasal endoscopy or MRI, nasal CT scan to clarify the extent of bone destruction in the pathological conditions of tumors in the nose, cancer.
- Biopsy is particularly difficult in the nose, not only because of hemorrhage but because nasal tumors are surrounded by so much inflamed tissue that it is difficult to obtain a representative sample. Often the area to be biopsied cannot be seen directly, especially if previous sampling has resulted in bleeding. But on the other hand, biopsy is very important in situations where tumor is suspected, cancer diagnosis.
- There are also other tests such as quick check for blood parasites caused by ticks (Ehrlichia, Rickettsia…), blood coagulation test, blood pressure measurement…
- Dental examination should be done as best as possible. Oral disease can be severe enough to produce nosebleeds due to the roots of larger teeth that connect to the nasal cavity when disease is present. Tumors in the mouth that have eroded into the nasal cavity can be obvious if one can look closely in the mouth.
Fungal culture – culture to screen for fungal infections in the nasal cavity.
Nasal swabs – culture and antibiotic sensitivity testing to identify any infectious agents. - Stopping nosebleeds is only a temporary intervention. It is important to determine the cause, from which the veterinarian will provide the appropriate treatment to completely solve the symptoms of nosebleeds in dogs. The owner only needs to follow the process of giving medicine and taking care of the baby at home, the baby will recover quickly.
Summary
Many people believe that nosebleeds / nosebleeds in dogs are similar to humans and that only first aid to stop the bleeding is enough.
In some cases, if you let your baby’s nosebleed last for a long time and do not seek treatment, the baby can be in danger.
Common causes of nosebleeds in dogs: trauma, fungal infections, ticks, blood parasites, toxins, genetics or rare diseases such as cancer, hemangiomas, reactions to drugs.
The owner can use an ice pack on the baby’s nose to temporarily stop the bleeding when the baby has a nosebleed and take the baby to the veterinary clinic immediately to examine and clear the cause.
Your veterinarian will make a prognosis based on the specific cause of the nosebleed and your dog’s health at the time of diagnosis. It will then provide you with detailed diagnosis and treatment plans based on your dog’s condition.