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Just found out about a month ago that my sweet 15 year old Keeshond, Natasia, probably has tumors in her nose. Started with loud snoring and some occasional sneezing. Then mucous coming out of nose, clear at first, then pink. Then had four teeth removed so was hoping that was related. Did a round of amoxycilan/antibiotic which seemed to clear up the nasal discharge 2/3rds. Then had nasal cavity (right side only, is involved) flushed. Doc said lots of pus and discharge came out and that when he looked at it all under microscope it was likely cancer. He said sometimes there is a slim chance that infected cells could make it look like cancer so there is that very slight hope...
Anyway, we just finished a month's worth more of amoxicylan, but then a few days before the pills were almost gone I saw a small amount of green mucous again. Doc put her on ten day cycle of Baytril/another antibiotic now and we're a few days in. I asked him what to expect next and he said possible bulging around her eye, or the side of the nose. This is all just so hard to take in. I just never thought my doggie would get nasal cancer. I had never even heard of this before now.
Going forward I'm unclear as to a plan. She is 15 so personally I don't think I am going to do radiation. All these posts here have been SO HELPFUL and comforting. Realizing I need to focus on her quality of life and comfort. Any also realizing the importance of nutrition. "infection, nutrition, and organ failure are three things that can take them down, with regards to cancer." My sister is a vet and she has suggested pain meds (Tramodol) and also Poly MVA (quite expensive). I don't sense that I need to give her pain meds, yet. Not sure about PolyMVA. I tend to run more organic and am not crazy about giving my dog all sorts of pills, but will do anything to help her feel comfortable in her last days, within reason.
She hasn't had any interest in eating her kibble in the last five days, though will eat the liverwurt with the Baytril tucked inside. She also continues to eat her daily treats--chicken jerky, grain-free beef sticks. Totally turns her head to her bowl of kibble though.
Anybody sense any suggestions going forward?? I have not had any xrays or MRIs or anything like that, to confirm the suspected cancer. My vet seemed to think it would just provide me with confirmation, and since I don't want to do radiation, I'm not sure that makes sense verses just treating her on a day by day basis?? Any and all thoughts are welcome. Just feeling a little lost today and hoping to come up with more of a treatment plan going forward. I know, my vet and my sister can help with that, but after reading all your posts here I thought I would ask you guys, too...you've walked this out in person.
Much love to all of you and your pets...including those who have moved on to doggie heaven. I do believe we'll meet up with them again one day.
Sorry to hear that you are having to deal with this. I think at 15 you are right in not being aggressive with any type of treatment. A year after Dash died from his nasal cancer my other dog who was 14.5, my once in a life time dog, Jazz developed a swollen eye. Took her to the vet who by the way 6 months prior had said if he had not known her since she was a puppy he would have guessed her to be about 6 or 7 as she was in great shape,anyway he thought it might be a tumor behind her eye. Next we went to see the eye specialist who said she did not think it was a tumor behind the eye but that it was a salivary gland and it could be a tumor or it could just be blocked..only way to find out was an MRI. Because this dog was in such great shape and meant so much to me I had to know which we were dealing with so we drove 130 miles to the MRI and had it done and came home to wait for results. If it was a tumor we would do nothing as that invasive of a surgery at that age and for a dog that hated vets was not something I was willing to put her through as she had been a great dog and friend to me and I owed her that, let her die with some dignity and not all carved up. She was a border collie X cattle dog so was a tough girl.
We were back home waiting for results. She was her usual self and that morning jumped off the bed to race downstairs to go outside as she was racing down the stairs I hear a yelp but she continued and I heard the flap of the dog door so did not think too much of it. When she returned she had a bloody clot on her swollen eye. The vet had told me the danger with a swollen eye is they can rupture and if they do it is very painful and the eye just disappears. Well the eye was there but it had that bloody clot so I got up called my vet who was booked for the day but he said drop her off and I will get a look at it sometime this morning. So I loaded all 3 dogs in the car, dropped her off at the vets and took the others to the dog park and waited for the call.
About 2 hrs later I got the call. My vet said what had happened was the eye did rupture but self sealed but that it was very painful so they had given her pain meds to keep her comfortable while he contacted the MRI place to get the results as we needed them right away. They said the gland looked solid which most likely meant a tumor. He said I had a decision either I put her down that same day or he gets on the phone to find a surgeon that is qualified to do that type of surgery and could get her in that afternoon. As much as it broke my heart I told him I would put her down but I wanted to spend some time with her . They loaded her up on some pain meds and I took the others home. They took me in the back to get her out as she had her usual attitude with them and was grumpy and aggressive. ( she loved people except for vets!) When she saw me she was her usual sweet self and gave me the get me out of here before these fools kill me look.She and I went on our last walk, we went and sat in a park for awhile and when we returned to the vets my car was out front and she headed for it and wanted in. I told her " No we have to go back inside" In her typical style she raised her head and woooooed arroood out her argument . It broke my heart as no she was not ready to leave me but she had too as I could not let her be in pain, even drugged up nor could I expect her to deal with a surgery that would cost her half her face and that eye. I had to do this for her as she deserved to leave this world with some dignity. When we got inside they had a room ready and gave her some sedation which for some reason took a long time to work, the vet kept sticking his head in and she would look at him " what do you want" She was going to fight to the end but it finally kicked in and he came and gave her the injection and peacefully she left me. Yes it was much harder then the day I put Dash down,or my previous dog Maddie as they were both ready to leave. Jazz however was not ready but I know in my heart it was the right decision and the last act of love and kindness I could give my friend. If I was old and looking at pain I can only pray that my family will not prolong my death but will let me go.
I am telling her story in hopes that it helps you see that sometimes as a pet owner our decisions may cause us a ton of pain but they are the right thing to do for our pet. It is not easy but at 15 your dog has had a great life and going for comfort measures would be the right thing to do. I work in hospital and most elderly people say they are ready to die and the ones that fight because their family wants them too often get angry and bitter as they are not fighting for themselves so the last weeks, months of their lives are not happy ones. I would not want to spend the remaining days of my life that way and I doubt a dog would either. When I knew I was reaching the point of putting Dash down I made those last days great ones and the memories of them are good ones not bad ones. So I would say keep your dog comfortable and make what time you have left together enjoyable for both of you. When that day does arrive do not make that mistake so many make of thinking " if I put my dog to sleep she will be mad at me" no I think if anything they will be thankful that you love them enough to spare them any suffering.
While many wish dogs could live long lives like we do, I do not know if I feel that way as yeah it would be nice but if they did I would not have known all the great dogs I have known,each special in its own way and each capturing a chunk of my heart and that would be even sadder. while Jazz has been gone almost 4 yrs when I tell her story I can feel her sitting right beside me as if you let them they live on in memory forever.
Sending some positive thoughts to you and Natasia.~Jan
Unfortunately, I found this thread because my 10 yr old Shepherd mix Rock may have nasal cancer. About 4 months ago he started the reverse sneeze and occasional snoring at night. I had been burning candles a lot and thought that may have irritated his nose so I stopped. The sneezing continued so I called my vet and made an apt. By the time of his apt. he started having clear nasal discharge from both nostrils and the corners of his eyes looked enflamed and seemed to have a slight cough. He was lethargic and defiantly not feeling well and his entire snout seemed enflamed. He almost seemed like he had picked up some sort of kennel cough.
My vet gave me three weeks of Penicillin and 2 weeks of temaril-P . At that time he also said it could be a nasal tumor. Like others on this thread, when I heard that my jaw dropped. During that time he was extremely congested having hard time breathing, holding his head up to get his breath. I think the temiril helped with the congestion. Rock had almost cleared up after 3 weeks were up but still had slight congestion. About a week and a half later it came roaring back, this time with eye discharge. Called my vet and got 2 more weeks of penicillin and 2 weeks of temaril-P. Again he mostly cleared up but still had thick mucus discharge from his right nostril. I called my vets office and relayed the message to his receptionist and she proceeded to tell me “Well this is allergy season and give the medicine time to work” That was the last time I would be going back to that vet. I had been dealing with this for almost 2 months which my records would indicate and she tells me allergies………Just venting. I have nothing against the vet, since I had been taking Rock there since I bailed him out of the local Humane Society
I made an apt with a new vet at local animal hospital and only waited a few days for an apt. The vet I saw subscribed 14 days of baytril saying it could be an infection. Well after 2 weeks Rock still has mucus discharge from right nostril and the reverse sneezing. He also will sneeze when outside after he starts exploring and that’s when he snorts out the long rubbery mucus. I have actually been giving him a dog biscuit when I take him out because while he tries to sniff out every last crumb on the ground that usually causes him to sneeze and I am able to pull some of the mucus out of his nose – its like a rubber band sometimes and hard to get out.
Called the vet again and made an apt to have a nasal flush and x-rays of his nose. “I know x-rays can’t show tumors but I thought or I hoped maybe they would find a different cause. The vet said a lot of debris came out his nose – mostly dirt- which I’m sure most dogs get dirt in their nose. Rock sticks his nose in every hole he sees and he likes to dig under a tree at my house. The x-ray’s did show cloudiness in the right nasal cavity which the vet said could just be inflammation or a tumor with no other way to tell without further diagnostics. He subscribed a round of antibiotics called Clindamycin – I think that’s what it’s called – it’s a capsule with a C and 39 on it- and tapering dose of steroids. Today is the 3rd day of this treatment and I am hoping and praying that I would be one of the lucky ones and this will fix the problem.
Rock has never bleed from his nose but after reading this thread it seems he has every other symptom the other dogs have had and it may just be a matter of time. I may or may not do any further diagnostics just to find out he has cancer and I really don’t know what I should do or why I am writing on this thread but I could easily tell how much everyone’s dog means to them – I’m a grown man and have a hard time holding the tears back just thinking about it. I would also like to offer my condolences to the people who lost their buddy’s to cancer. And thank DashDog for starting the thread. Thanks for reading. John
Unfortunately, I found this thread because my 10 yr old Shepherd mix Rock may have nasal cancer. About 4 months ago he started the reverse sneeze and occasional snoring at night. I had been burning candles a lot and thought that may have irritated his nose so I stopped. The sneezing continued so I called my vet and made an apt. By the time of his apt. he started having clear nasal discharge from both nostrils and the corners of his eyes looked enflamed and seemed to have a slight cough. He was lethargic and defiantly not feeling well and his entire snout seemed enflamed. He almost seemed like he had picked up some sort of kennel cough.
My vet gave me three weeks of Penicillin and 2 weeks of temaril-P . At that time he also said it could be a nasal tumor. Like others on this thread, when I heard that my jaw dropped. During that time he was extremely congested having hard time breathing, holding his head up to get his breath. I think the temiril helped with the congestion. Rock had almost cleared up after 3 weeks were up but still had slight congestion. About a week and a half later it came roaring back, this time with eye discharge. Called my vet and got 2 more weeks of penicillin and 2 weeks of temaril-P. Again he mostly cleared up but still had thick mucus discharge from his right nostril. I called my vets office and relayed the message to his receptionist and she proceeded to tell me “Well this is allergy season and give the medicine time to work†That was the last time I would be going back to that vet. I had been dealing with this for almost 2 months which my records would indicate and she tells me allergies………Just venting. I have nothing against the vet, since I had been taking Rock there since I bailed him out of the local Humane Society
I made an apt with a new vet at local animal hospital and only waited a few days for an apt. The vet I saw subscribed 14 days of baytril saying it could be an infection. Well after 2 weeks Rock still has mucus discharge from right nostril and the reverse sneezing. He also will sneeze when outside after he starts exploring and that’s when he snorts out the long rubbery mucus. I have actually been giving him a dog biscuit when I take him out because while he tries to sniff out every last crumb on the ground that usually causes him to sneeze and I am able to pull some of the mucus out of his nose – its like a rubber band sometimes and hard to get out.
Called the vet again and made an apt to have a nasal flush and x-rays of his nose. “I know x-rays can’t show tumors but I thought or I hoped maybe they would find a different cause. The vet said a lot of debris came out his nose – mostly dirt- which I’m sure most dogs get dirt in their nose. Rock sticks his nose in every hole he sees and he likes to dig under a tree at my house. The x-ray’s did show cloudiness in the right nasal cavity which the vet said could just be inflammation or a tumor with no other way to tell without further diagnostics. He subscribed a round of antibiotics called Clindamycin – I think that’s what it’s called – it’s a capsule with a C and 39 on it- and tapering dose of steroids. Today is the 3rd day of this treatment and I am hoping and praying that I would be one of the lucky ones and this will fix the problem.
Rock has never bleed from his nose but after reading this thread it seems he has every other symptom the other dogs have had and it may just be a matter of time. I may or may not do any further diagnostics just to find out he has cancer and I really don’t know what I should do or why I am writing on this thread but I could easily tell how much everyone’s dog means to them – I’m a grown man and have a hard time holding the tears back just thinking about it. I would also like to offer my condolences to the people who lost their buddy’s to cancer. And thank DashDog for starting the thread. Thanks for reading. John
John first all do not feel like you have to hold back tears as real men do cry too and anyone that has ever loved a dog gets that! Rock is a lucky dog to have an owner like you! That decision to spend money to find out for sure is a difficult one as I have had to make it several times but I am a person that has to know as if I do not I would drive myself crazy with "what if's" I will assume they tried treating Rock for nasal mites? That was the first thing my vet thought of treating and I guess it is a common issue as dogs sniff everything. I am curious what type of dog is Rock? I would say this is the worst part of owning a dog but the truth is it is the worst part of loving another being be it human or animal. In the end grief is the price we pay for love keep us posted as to how Rock is doing I will send positive thoughts and prayers his way and have my dogs cross their paws for him.hang in there John~ Jan( Dashdog)
Thanks for replying Dashdog. My 87 yr old Grandmother is the only one I know that loves her dog "miniature schnauzer" like I do. I know what you mean, It is driving me crazy not knowing what is going on.
Rock was not treated for nasal mites and was not mentioned by any of the Vets I have seen. I will defiantly give it a try. I had never heard of nasal mites until after I started researching nasal issues with dogs. I live in PA and they may not be that common here but it is defiantly worth a try
Rock is some type of a herding dog mix. He looks like an Australian Kelpie and was super easy to train. Your dog Dash was a beautiful dog. My brother and I had a border collie mix growing up and you could not have asked for a better dog. She lived to be almost 16 yrs old and never went to the vets except for a yearly checkup and shots. She was extremely mellow for the type of dog she was. She loved people but hated all other dogs or any other 4 legged critter. Rock on the other hand is not friendly until he knows you but loves playing with other dogs when he gets a chance.
Rock is on day 5 of the new antibiotics and steroids the nasal discharge seems to be more clear but he is doing a lot of the reverse sneeze and when he does it sounds like a lot of mucus in his nose. Other than that he is like his old self the only time he was really sick was when I first started getting him treated for this issue and seemed like he had some type of kennel cough. Again thanks for the reply and your kind words. John
I need to figure out how to post a picture - You would like Rock he is a beautiful dog - not just saying that because he's mine
I mentioned it on another thread, but thought I would here also. We had a 7 year old dog who the vet suspected had nasal cancer. She had reverse sneezing, lots of congestion in one nostril, and nose bleeds. The inner part of one of her nostrils turned pink and that had me searching the web for possible causes. The vet scoped, and it didn't show anything, but she did run some other tests. Turned out it was nasal asperigllosis - a fungal infection. Apparently, it is very rare here, and vets don't always test for it. But it was treatable.
It depends on what part of the country you are in as in the south west asperigllosis is an issue. I think I have heard that other areas are seeing more of it, but because it is in the dirt dogs would be prone to getting it as they are sniffing around the ground all the time. The past few years we have been seeing a lot more people with it
Rock seemed to respond well the the antibiotics - He still has a small amount of congestion I notice when he goes to bed and a small amount of snot in the morning. I went and got another course of antibiotics in case I'm lucky and that is the only problem, because I did not want to stop while I am still seeing a few symptoms. He still has never had any blood from his nose so I am still staying hopeful. Fingers crossed. John
Over the weekend Rock started to have yellow nasal discharge and also found some blood in the mucus. This happened while on the antibiotic and everything seemed to be clearing up and it just came roaring back. The only difference was the second round of antibiotics were a different brand. I don't know if that made a difference or not. Not sure what to do next If he does have cancer I would like to be able to treat the symptoms for a while. Like everyone else who has dealt with this issue I find it very heartbreaking knowing what might happen next. John
I am sitting at work reading through all of these threads (cannot concentrate on anything except my Boo - work will have to wait), and I am in tears. My Boomer is an 8 1/2 year old Great Dane. He is my love. About four months ago, I went to pet him and noticed that his ear had suddenly become warm to the touch, and was extremely swollen - it felt like a bag full of warm liquid. I mean this, happened within a matter of minutes. He was not crying, or scratching at it - I never would have known had I not stopped to rub his ear. I immediately took him to the vet immediately. They said that from him shaking his head, which I did then remember he had been doing more than usual that day, he had caused blood to pool in his ear. He had surgery, but it took him a long time to heal despite being on massive doses of antibiotics. But, after a month or so, he seemed fine. Fast forward to this weekend, and he got two nosebleeds. The vet didn't seem overly concerned, but this morning I got up and my house looked like a crime scene. The amount of blood was terrifying. He is still his old self - still running around - still a big baby. But, now that I read these posts, I realize that he has been doing that "reverse sneezing" thing - and I'm so scared. He has an appt for this afternoon with the vet, and I'm terrified of what they are going to say. We had a Great Dane before this one, who died at this very age, 8 1/2 - and he was an "old man" at the time. Not Boo - we laugh that this dog is still a puppy - he has shown no signs of getting old.
I guess I don't know why I'm writing, except that I've found such comfort in reading all of your posts. Please keep my baby boy in your thoughts tonight. I don't know what I will do if they say he has cancer.
Thank you all for listening, and I'm sorry for the many losses you have all experienced. I wish they could live so much longer than they do...
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Doc put her on ten day cycle of Baytril/another antibiotic now and we're a few days in. I asked him what to expect next and he said possible bulging around her eye, or the side of the nose. This is all just so hard to take in. I just never thought my doggie would get nasal cancer. I had never even heard of this before now. 
