Diagnosis of Nasal Tumors
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
Updated: October 5th, 2018
Tumors of the nose and sinus in dogs are often difficult to diagnose at first. These tumors are located inside the nasal passages, invisible to the naked eye, at least in the earlier stages.
Many times a guardian will notice that their four legged family member starts to sneeze more often. The first thought can be,”Does my dog have a cold?” Sometimes there will be a bit of a cough. Discharge or blood from a nostril are not rare. Finally, there can be changes (a swelling or a indentation) in the outward appearance of the muzzle or around the eye.
Oftentimes, a veterinarian will simply dispense some antibiotics to see if it clears up. The reason for this is that sinusitis (infection of the sinuses) is more common than tumors in the nose.
However, if a dog has a tumor in the nasal passageways, any positive effect of the antibiotics will be short lived. The antibiotics won’t cure the tumor.
The reason why antibiotics may work for a while is that there is a little infection on the surface of the tumor. This is common in nasal tumors. The antibiotics deal with the infection and things get better, but it does not last.
Sometimes guardians will be upset that the tumor was missed initially. This feeling is natural since nasal tumors are serious.
We also need to remember the big picture though. If every dog that arrived at a veterinary hospital with a runny nose was taken for a skull X-ray under anesthesia and sent for a CT scan, most would say this did not make sense.
If 9 out of 10 dogs received the diagnosis of a simple nasal infection after all this testing, most guardians would be unhappy due to overly aggressive testing.
So we have to strike a balance.
How does one actually diagnose a nasal cancer? Typically, in private practice, an X-ray is done as the first step. This allows us to see if there is a proliferation that would not be there normally, within the sinus. Sometimes one can see bone loss in the area of the tumor.
Unfortunately, this is often not enough. A vet may not be able to say definitively that the X-ray changes are due to a cancer in the nose.
A biopsy is often needed. This can be done most of the time with a small scope that has a little grasping arm (bronchoscopy). Sometimes the sinuses can be flushed out to collect some tumor cells that will give us a diagnosis.
These procedures are done under anesthesia.
In considering treatment, to really tell how far along these types of tumors have progressed, a CT (can scan) should be done. X-rays are not very good at telling the extent of tumor spread in the nasal sinuses.
More information about these important cancers can be found in The Dog Cancer Survival Guide.
Best,
Dr D
Dr. Demian Dressler is internationally recognized as “the dog cancer vet” because of his innovations in the field of dog cancer management, and the popularity of his blog here at Dog Cancer Blog. The owner of South Shore Veterinary Care, a full-service veterinary hospital in Maui, Hawaii, Dr. Dressler studied Animal Physiology and received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California at Davis before earning his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University. After practicing at Killewald Animal Hospital in Amherst, New York, he returned to his home state, Hawaii, to practice at the East Honolulu Pet Hospital before heading home to Maui to open his own hospital. Dr. Dressler consults both dog lovers and veterinary professionals, and is sought after as a speaker on topics ranging from the links between lifestyle choices and disease, nutrition and cancer, and animal ethics. His television appearances include “Ask the Vet” segments on local news programs. He is the author of The Dog Cancer Survival Guide: Full Spectrum Treatments to Optimize Your Dog’s Life Quality and Longevity. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Avian Veterinarians, the National Animal Supplement Council and CORE (Comparative Orthopedic Research Evaluation). He is also an advisory board member for Pacific Primate Sanctuary.
My 7 year old Brussel Griffons “Bug” has been to Auburn University for a CT scan and biopsy of the mass in her left nasal passage. There is bone loss and she has trouble breathing. More so now that she has had the biopsy. Bug has had problems with her left nostil for at least a year, clear mucus and a wheez. I never worrried to much about it and neither did the vet. 9Griffons have the short nose and snort like a Bulldog anyway. 3 weeks ago she started having seizures, first every few nights apart then everynight. She is now taking Predrisone, Phenabarbatol and an antahystamine. She is not the same dog. She is high on the drugs and is still seizing almost every night. The results from the biopsy and cultures wont be back for a week. I’m broken hearted and want her to get better.
My Ellie has been bleeding from her nose more this week. The vet decided she most likely has a tumor since her nasal passage/throat/larynx all look good. Lungs are clear. He scoped her nose and could not find anything. When breathing she sounds as if she is snoring. Lots of mucus. Now her nose is bleeding again. Has anyone tried to use any herbs? Ginger? Curcumin? Has anyone had any success with anything like that?
I want to thank all of you ( with the exception of Shenaz) for your helpful and informational posts. My black lab, Jake, has had severe sneezing for the past couple weeks. I noticed a few noosebleeds as well as discharge. I am taking him to the vet tomorrow and pray that it is nothing more than sinunitis or allergies. However, if the news is bad I will do whtever it takes to ensure he is comfortable. I will keep you all posted of the outcome. Thanks again.
this is very sad for me that my 15 year old mixed female dog has a nose tumor. we thought for sure it was allergies but it is not. she is having many nose bleeds and getting a little swollen on her nose. she eats well and still is the same old cheyenne we had for years. my life would not be perfect if it wasn’t for my cheyenne. she has been wonderful and my family. i would do anything for her. at this stage there is nothing we can do for her , only make her comfortable and love her. iam sorry shenaz that you can NOT understand how the love of one animal brings so much joy to you. i hope you can find that love one day with a pet of your own.
Well said, Dr. Dressler.
And thank you for helping all of us, who are trying to deal with thine enemy, “CANCER”, in whatever form it takes, for our furry loved ones. Be they canine or feline, they are members of our families.
Ah…Ah….Ah…Shenaz (Your name is what my dog sounds like, when he sneezes, lol)
If you feel that way about dogs, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why you would bother to post on this site. I would bet that anyone who posts on this site to Dr. D., are aware of the “starving child” situation. The difference between you (including people like you) and us is that we were born with the “compassionate” gene. You have insulted me, and anyone else who is legitimately, seeking help and advice for a situation that involves both people and animals. That is cancer. And it know no bounds. People who have cancer or people who love someone or something that has cancer, are in enough grief and pain, that you really have no business posting anything here. A good part of the process of dealing with cancer is to have a positive attitude. And the hope to find a solution to help someone or something to battle this horrible disease. I personally would like to know what charities or how many children you’ve help to feed, or have had them sit at your table and shared your dinner with. I’ve done it. And I came to this site, hoping to get answers about fighting the disease that, Sam, my little Jack Russell/Schauzer mix has, and who I adopted from an abusive and neglected situation back in 2001. He is more loyal and non-complaining than most people that I know. My heart goes out to anyone, who reads your comment, because it is really not meant to be here, since it is a real ‘slap-in-the-face’ to anyone who’s facing their dilemna with a loved, four- legged, furry companion, who is a member of their family.
Dr. D. (or whoever monitors your site, I do NOT have a problem with you deleting my post or the post above.) I’m appreciating any info/advice I can get to help my little guy, Sam. He deserves it.
Honestly who cares,there are children who r dying of hunger out there..dog r meant to live in the wild NOT in the HOUSE…human beings r important than dogs..be important in the community and lend help to HUMAN BEINGS who need help not freaking dogs…thanks
Dear Shenaz,
many care, although you don’t care about non-human animals…many of us do. It is a shame you have not had the opportunity to enjoy a connection or a relationship with non-human animals.
Dr D
Oh these stories sound so familar to what iam going through with my collie Lassie.She has been a sneezer most of ther adult life.As soon as i seen the green bloodish discharge we went straight to the vet.They started with taken xrays that showed a grayish area around the teeth area an where the spot was on her face under her eye an antibotics for 10days.That didnt work so we tried a strong one for 5 days no better after that.So i took her back an they took a sample from her an sent it off.The results came back 3 days later that it was nasal cancer.I was broken hearted to find this out but i know that i was very aggressive with the vet to get to the bottom of this.She is now on piroxicam until the end.My big question now is how long do i have with her?
Dear Melissa,
I am sorry this is happening to your Lassie. I wish I could give you a number for how long you have with her. None of us, including vets, are able to tell when someone will pass.
So you are not alone in this question.
Hang in there. Hopefully you are using the exercises in the Guide?
Best,
Dr D
Dear Dr.,
All of the above is very consistent with Hunny’s nasal tumor. She had radiation to help shrink the tumor, and is currently taking Chinese herbs and piroxicam. Both really seem to be helping. I knows that there is no cure. About how long do most dogs have with a nasal tumor?
Thank you,
Jennifer & Hunny
Since I am going through exactly what the doctor describes in this nasal tumor blog I want to contribute some of my thoughts.
Back in January 2010, My Jett, who is a neutered female Great Dane, showed a nose bleed after a slip and fall, which occurred on some ice in front of our house. I checked her for concussion which was negative and after several minutes the bleeding stopped and the incident was over. I watched her over the next few days to see if it would return but the nose stayed clear so we went on with our lives. One other note to add, Jett has been a sneezer for the greater part of her adult life. I always chalked this up to happy sneezing. But back to her story…
Then in February, another bleed happens. But ends quickly so we carry on. Then another in March so I bring her to her vet. We get sent home with a course of antibiotics for sinusitis, just as the doctor states in his article.
Things clear up and so all is well – or is it?
Short story, more green mucous shows up in April and more antibiotics are called for. But the mucous goes and returns so I take Jett to some vets I know who are able to get x-rays of Jett’s head without requiring Jett to be put under.
These pictures show opacity in the left nostril and we send these pictures off to a radiologist for analysis. The report comes back saying a CT scan is needed to definitively diagnose the nostril.
So, on May 20th, we get a CT and I learn Jett has a nasal tumor and a mass on the right atrium.
Well, this rocks my whole world.
What I haven’t shared is that in the month of April, Jett survived emergency abdominal surgery for bloat (stomach twists- torsion). She also has subsequent visits to vets for the nasal discharge when I thought she got an infection while in hospital. The surgeon also told me of an opacity in her lungs, which they could not diagnose but her abdomen and her organs were free of any observable cancer. That news is good but I know I need to learn what the lung issue is.
So, in a very short span of time Jett as been through the ringer and my pocketbook was now short nearly five figures. So getting news about the cancer and learning treatment is costly – and Jett’s age – I was hurting because I want to help her live as long as she wants to.
I found The Dog Cancer Survival Guide and began reading. The doctor’s book really helped me get organized and get control of a lot of unknowns and my emotions. But he also informed me of alternatives to the Big Three that gave me some hope I could help Jett.
To close I must say a few things, first, I think my vet whiffed, that is swung and missed by prescribing antibiotics instead of saying, Mike- she’s eleven years old, a large breed and the chances for cancer being in that nose are high. And sadly Mike, we are seeing a high incidence of cancer in our pets these days. Let’s get some pictures.
Secondly, for most of us, our choices of vets are limited for whatever the reason. And so we need to become the boss of our pet’s care. And we need to carefully consider the toxins we, ourselves introduce into our pets’ lives. Their food, their vaccinations, and the pesticides we put on their bodies. And if we can, we need vets who are educating themselves in the broad view when comes to treating cancer in our pets. Because there is power in the plants around us. The bottom line is-most vets today will not countenance nutraceuticals in their plan to fight pet cancers. This is slowly changing and Dr. Dressler is an example of the change for our pet’s betterment.
Lastly, if you have a pet who is a senior, pure breed, but otherwise in what seems good health – review everything and don’t be passive. My vet should have added up all that was working against Jett in this moment. In Jett’s case, I think it was time to take a chance and call for more aggressive analysis.
Look at the reality of our world and get familiar with cancer. What it is. How it comes about. How it lives and how it can be made to die. You’ll also be helping yourself prepare for cancer on the human side too.
Vets should become cancer proactive and talk frankly about cancer, we’re adults, we can take it. There is guidance on prevention that must be applied in the present. Our medical professionals have to get busy and have more to offer us than just slashing, burning and poisoning.