Sneezing, Itching-Nosed Buddy

[mbc1963]

Buddy woke up sneezing one morning in August, and then started pawing and scratching at his nose. He scratched his nose raw, so I took him to the vet. Prednisone (5 mg) tapered off over a couple weeks, plus Cephalexin. The first prednisone pill stopped the itching, and everything healed up nicely.

 

About two weeks after the last dose of Cephalexin, I noticed Buddy's muzzle was red. Seems that the itching is in his muzzle now, and he's rubbing it raw, this time. I went back to the vet who put him on a Temaril (oral antihistamine and steroid) plus a 21-day course of Simplicef.

 

So, I'm like $500 into this itchy nose at this point (between pills and bloodwork they ordered on the first round). I'll give this round of pills, but obviously can't keep going through this every month. I'm assuming this is allergies - but what's the antibiotic for?

 

So, I'm looking for board member experiences and anecdotes, given that no vet can know everything. Anyone had this experience, or any suggestions?

 

Thanks,

 

Mary

[terrecar]

I had a Dachshund with occasional allergic flare-ups. My veterinarian prescribed both a steroid and antibiotic as well. I honestly cannot remember if he also had to take an antihistamine. I assumed the antibiotic was to prevent an infection from setting in from the scratching, but that may not be a correct assumption. It only happened a couple of times (although he was on cyclosporine eye drops for the remainder of his life). You might want to discuss possible long term management with your vet that includes an estimate of the ongoing cost.

 

 

ETA: Just to give you an idea of a reasonable scenario, we ended up with the cyclosporine eye drops and steroids to have on hand (with dosage instructions, and the two were not used together). This was sufficient management to allow for quarterly visits to the vet, which was a lot less expensive than the initial consult. Of course there is the issue with long term use of steroids, but his flare-ups were (as noted above) infrequent. Also, as noted, the two medications were not used together, as the drops were for dry eye resulting from allergies.

[OurBoys]

Even though it doesn't happen often, several months ago, a CBCR volunteer was told a dog she adopted out ended up getting Capillaria Boehmi. (Volunteers like to receive updates on their dogs every once in a while.) It's a parasite in the nasal passages. You will need to ask your vet, but I believe it can be detected in a fecal sample if you specifically request the test for it. I'm not saying that could be Buddy's problem but that's the first thing that came to mind when I read your post.

[WWBC]

I'd be concerned that a seed pod or some other type of irritant had been inhaled and was now lodged in his sinus area creating a problem. Not sure if they could scope his sinus area or x ray, maybe ultra sound to look for a problem? Hope it is nothing serious.

[emilyfalk]

To answer your question, I'd guess the vet prescribed the antibiotic for the "raw"ness so that a secondary skin infection didn't set in. (though 21 days of Simplicef, which is very similar to cephalexin, seems excessive to me). Is there any discharge coming from his nose or eyes? Is he running a fever?

 

Yes, there is certainly a chance something is lodged in his nasal passage. An x-ray will likely not show anything, unless there is fluid accumulation, severe inflammation (granuloma), or a tumor. Peeking up there with a scope is the easiest way to see if there is a foreign body.

 

In the future, if it turns out to be allergies (and nothing sucked up his nose), you can try Benadryl at 1mg/lb up to three times a day.

[mbc1963]

OK! So we're just about done with the latest round of steroid/antihistamine, and Buddy is already starting to paw at his nose as I taper off this med. I have a follow-up appointment on Monday so the vet can see his nose when it's not raw. He continues to paw at the left side of his face, and I imagine it'll be rubbed raw again within a few days off the meds.

 

What should I ask from the vet at Monday's appointment?

Should I go see someone with more expertise in this?

Does it seem likely that something is up in the nose?

Could allergies do this to only one specific spot?

What tests could differentiate between allergies and a foreign body?

 

I can't keep pouring money into this, but also want my dog to feel better.

 

He seems very lively and happy outside of the scratching - no lethargy, no moping, eating well, peeing and pooping well.

 

(Just to make things really great, Buddy split a dew claw Sunday night, and was in a lot of pain, and I couldn't get the claw off - broken right at the skin - and had to take him to the e-vet to the tune of $186!!)

 

Thanks for any help or advice you can give on how to best use my vet time and money!

 

Mary

[2 Devils]

Are you sure he is actually scratching his nose and not trying to scratch is mouth? He may just have bad aim.

 

I have been giving my allergy dogs olive extract as it is good for the respiratory systems and it has really been helping.

[Sue R]

Has he been checked for a possible fungal infection in his nasal passages? I have no idea if this would cause these sort of symptoms but thought of it as I recently met a dog (from moist Washington State) who had a long-standing (and long-undiagnosed) fungal infection that is still in treatment. Makes me worry every time Celt (my occasionally itchy dog) gets an itchy nose/muzzle (not as bad as yours sounds, Celt just does a lot of rug-rubbing at times when this happens).

 

Good luck with this!