Akita's sneezing probably not due to allergies [11-9-15]

Akita's sneezing probably not due to allergies

Spring is in the air. In warmer climates, blossoms abound and many landscape plants are blooming. Those with allergies are probably sneezing. That is exactly what is happening with Panda.

The 6-six-year-old Akita in Merced, Calif., spends lots of time outside. His home is surrounded by almond orchards.

Recently, he has had bouts of sneezing. According to Kristi, he is sneezing so hard he sometimes bangs his face on the ground. This has been going on now for about a week and is to the point where Kristi reports seeing some blood coming from Panda's nose sometimes after sneezing. Kristi has chalked up Panda's sneezing to allergies from the almond blossoms; she, too, is sneezing. She wonders what she might do to help Panda.

Certainly, sneezing can result from an allergic response in the nose. After all, sneezing is the body's attempt to expel irritants from the nose. Seldom, however, do I recognize an allergy causing sneezing to the point of hemorrhage. Therein lies my concern for Panda.

We have established that sneezing results from irritation in the nasal passages, and allergies are but one possible cause. In Panda's case, I would look to other possible causes before I would label his sneezing the result of an allergy to almond blossoms or, for that matter, an allergy to anything else. In fact, allergies in dogs, especially inhaled allergies, seldom result in respiratory symptoms such as sneezing and instead more commonly result in skin issues.

Panda needs to be evaluated by his veterinarian and likely will need some diagnostic testing to figure out why he is sneezing and why there is blood coming from his nose. It may be as simple as a bacterial nasal sinus infection causing inflammation in his nose and leading to sneezing and bleeding. This can be a primary process or the result of a foreign body inside the nasal passage. We see this commonly when dogs suck a foxtail up into the nasal passage. Grass awns are very irritating and often cause violent sneezing and nasal bleeding. If left untreated, the sneezing can decrease as the foxtail becomes lodged within the nasal passage, but a secondary bacterial infection will result. In cases where a nasal foreign body is suspected, I recommend nasal endoscopy. This involves the use of a small endoscope passed up into the nasal passages.

If a foreign body like a foxtail is found, it can easily be removed with an instrument passed through the scope sheath to grab the foreign body. This procedure is done with anesthesia.

Another more disturbing possibility is a nasal passage tumor. These tumors -- there are several types -- can be quite invasive and destructive and can sometimes cause heavy nasal bleeding as they increase in size. Sneezing occurs, of course, as a result of the irritation from the tumor, though there are many cases of nasal tumors where bleeding occurs from the nose without appreciable sneezing. Diagnosis of a nasal tumor is best accomplished by taking nasal passage radiographs and using the same endoscopic procedure I mentioned above.

In Panda's case, it would be best to anesthetize him, take the nasal passage radiographs and scope his passages all in the same procedure. This will provide the best possibility of arriving at a definitive diagnosis and allow for the formation of a treatment plan.

My hope is that he will have something stuck in his nose and a cure will result from removal. A diagnosis of a nasal passage tumor carries a much more guarded prognosis and a much lower chance for a cure.