What are the possible causes of nasal bleeding in dogs?
In dogs, nosebleeds can be caused by a blow to the muzzle.
If your animal has suffered trauma, the shock may have caused damage to the capillary vessels which, when ruptured, cause nasal bleeding. The severity of the bleeding then depends on the intensity of the trauma suffered by the dog. If the shock was of low intensity, the bleeding will be light and will stop on its own. If the impact was violent, it could have caused a fracture of the bones of the nose as well as abundant bleeding which justifies an emergency consultation.
Bleeding can also be caused by the presence of a foreign body in your pet's nose, such as spikelets.
But, in dogs, it is much more common for epistaxis to be the result of much more worrying conditions such as:
- primary coagulation disorders, secondary or not to poisoning by anticoagulant rat poison,
- neoplastic diseases (tumors),
- chronic rhinitis,
- a disease of infectious origin caused by fungi (aspergillosis, for example), parasites (leishmaniasis, ), bacteria (ehrlichiosis, Bordetella, ) or viruses.
- high blood pressure,
- hyperviscosity syndrome.
In any case, you should obviously consult your veterinarian without delay.
How to help your companion?
While waiting for the visit to your veterinarian and in order to stop or slow down the bleeding, you can:
- compress your dog's nose by exerting pressure towards the nasal septum as if you wanted to block his nose. Make sure that your pet's head is always tilted forward so that blood and clots that may form do not pass into the trachea and bronchi, which can lead to difficulty breathing. Maintain this compression for at least ten minutes. Avoid compressing the nose in case of serious trauma and potential fracture, if your dog shows signs of pain or if he is not very cooperative.
- apply an ice pack to the top of your dog's muzzle. The cold has the property of compressing the blood vessels. To do this, place ice cubes in a bag (a freezer bag, for example) then place this tied bag filled with ice cubes in another bag filled with cold water.Close this bag tightly before applying it to the animal's muzzle.
Take the time to calm your animal: excitement increases the pressure and prevents the bleeding from calming down.
Above all, never try to touch the inside of your dog's nostrils or insert a compress inside, you risk making the bleeding worse and you could get bitten! Leave it to your veterinarian. He will then take over from you and decide on the care to be given to your animal depending on the cause of his bleeding.