What to Do When Your Dog Has a Nose Bleed

Discovering that a dog with a nose bleed can be very unnerving, especially for the dog's owner or the person who is in charge of the dog. There are many questions that will immediately enter the person's mind that discovers this condition in a dog. These questions can range from wondering what has happened to the beloved pet to is this condition life threatening and should the dog be rushed to the nearest veterinarian (vet) immediately. One important thing to remember is that the person who makes this discovery should not panic. Panicking will not help the situation any at all.

Nose bleeds in dogs is a condition known as Epistaxis and can be caused by either traumatic or mechanical reasons. This can include incidents that happen to the dog such as lacerations, bites, blows and even foreign bodies that can enter the dog's nasal cavity. Other causes of Epistaxis or nose bleeds in dogs are infections that are either chronic or acute, growths or tumors that are pathological, parasites, congestion, infectious diseases, hemorrhaging from the dog's lungs and even congestion.

Symptoms of nose bleed in dogs or Epistaxis are sneezing and spraying blood, a swollen nose, dental disease or broken teeth, a stool that is black and tarry from the dog swallowing blood, a bad smelling odor that comes from the dog's nose or mouth, breathing that is noisy or out of the ordinary and a dog may be off of its food.

Treating a dog's nose bleed should begin with a little history of the past few hours of the dog's life. This will often determine the cause of the nose bleed and with that information, the treatment can begin. If the dog has had some physical trauma, such as being in a dog fight, having its nose accidentally hit while playing or some other physical trauma, then the treatment can often be administered by the dog's owner or the person responsible for the dog. The person responsible for the dog can begin the treatment by placing the dog in an area where it will remain as still as possible and kept quiet, reducing stress and excitability. This is usually the only treatment that is needed for a nose bleed in dogs, but if this treatment does not work then the person can try other methods of treatment for the nose bleed. This can include applying cold compresses and direct pressure to the dog's nose. If the person notices that the amount of blood being lost increases or if the dog has blood coming from other sites on the body, the condition should be considered an emergency and the dog should be taken to the vet.