When a dog is congested he will want to clear his nose the same way we sneeze. A stuffy nose can be caused for a number of reasons. It can be a sign of a canine cold, a nasal infection, a dental problem, allergies, a foreign object lodged in your nose, or a heart problem.
Massage the upper part of your dog's nose and the plump parts of the nose if you notice that you are ducking your head and inhaling towards the floor as if you were trying to inhale and exhale through your nose. This is not uncommon among dogs and is usually an indication of a minor nasal irritation that disappears quickly. Massaging the nose helps relieve irritation.
Make an appointment with the veterinarian if your dog has a stuffy nose for more than 24 hours. There is little you can do to help him and an appropriate diagnosis is necessary before the problem can be treated.
Get a cold steam vaporizer and place it near where your dog sleeps. This helps keep your bronchial tubes moist and makes breathing easier.
Turn on the hot water in the shower and close the bathroom door. Do not turn on the extractor so that the bathroom is filled with a warm moist steam. Sit in the bathroom for several minutes holding your dog to help him decongest his nasal passages.
Use a baby vacuum to suck mucus from your dog's nose. Be careful to just place the tip of the aspirator in the opening of the nostril. Do not deeply insert any element into your dog's nose.
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Your dog's nasal congestion
Nasal congestion is a clear sign that the animal has a cold, although sometimes it can be caused by other reasons. For example, a respiratory infection or an allergy. It could also be that the animal had inserted a small object through the nose and that you have not noticed.
A dental infection that would have spread to the nasal area could also be the cause of nasal congestion. It is because of that the best thing to understand the cause is to go to the vet so that it is this who determines the cause.
Normally sinusitis, as nasal congestion is known, not usually serious, although you already know that you should never take anything for granted and you should try to prevent any anomaly that your dog may be suffering.
The symptoms of your dog's nasal congestion are usually sneezing, coughing, snoring or sudden breathing It could also runny, especially water, and you will have your mouth open to breathe. Although it will be the doctor who determines the cause and treats the condition, There are things to do at home to treat your dog's nasal congestion.
How to treat your dog's nasal congestion at home
The vet, It depends on the condition, it could prescribe your pet antihistamines, steroids, topical creams or in the worst case, antibiotics if it is an infection. While these take effect, the dog will continue with a stuffy nose, which is very annoying and probably does not even allow him to sleep.
Follow these tips to calm the symptoms so that your animal can rest better:
Give him a plate of hot food
The heat of the food could uncover your nostrils and make the animal feel more relieved. Even if this does not work, surely your animal will enjoy such a delicious dish. This dish could be a soup that you prepare with ingredients suitable for your dog or a can of heated moist food.
Give him a good diet
As with people, when an animal feels bad for any reason, in this case due to nasal congestion, it is possible that lose your appetite, which will make your defenses weaken and be more likely to get another disease, or to let the infection progress, in case this is what causes congestion.
Giving you a reinforced food that improves your immune status will be one of the best ways to relieve the symptoms of your dog's nasal congestion.
Clean your nose
Sometimes the accumulation of water that the nose expels when there is congestion can be the cause of the congestion itself. Therefore It is advisable to try an ear stick and, very delicately, remove part of it from the nose of your animal. This could cause the ducts to open slightly.
This it will be a somewhat more difficult remedy to apply because your dog may not like it. However, it will be the most effective. The steam will open the nostrils and allow the animal to breathe normally.
Try these tricks and help yourself from sprays nasal that the vet can recommend. This way you will be able to calm your dog's nasal congestion.
My dog is brachycephalic and has respiratory problems
Brachycephalic dogs, such as the Bulldog, the Pekingese, the Chow chow or the Pug, among others, they have a wide skull and a short snout. These breeds often have airway obstruction problems, which manifest themselves with mouth breathing, snorting, snorting or snoring. The respiratory problems of these dogs they accentuate when they exercise and get worse with age.
The airway obstruction in these cases it is due to typical deformities of these races. These include nasal stenosis (or collapse of the nostrils), elongation or lengthening of the soft palate and eversion of the laryngeal ventricles. Nasal stenosis and elongation of the soft palate are congenital, while the erosion of the laryngeal ventricles is acquired. These problems usually occur together.
- Nasal stenosis. In the puppies With nasal stenosis, the openings of the nose are small and the nasal cartilage soft and flexible, so that by inspiring the air, the puppy suffers airway obstruction. Therefore, breathe through your mouth, ru> My dog has something stuck in his nose
A multitude of people can stay in your dog's nose strange bodies: leaves, plant seeds, grasses, bone chips, wood chips ...
He symptom main of the presence of some foreign body in the nose is a violent sneezing access, at first continuous and then intermittent. Your dog can rub his nose with his paw, leading to a nosebleed.
If the foreign body is kept in your nose for hours or days, a thick and usually bloody discharge.
He treatment It must be done in the veterinary consultation. Foreign bodies may be visible near the opening of the nostril, in which case they can be removed with tweezers. But if you fear harming him, it is better for him to do it. vet. In addition, in many cases, they will be located further back and if you try to remove it, you can cause injuries. Your veterinarian can perform the extraction safely, administering sedatives or general anesthesia. You will probably be prescribed an antibiotic afterwards to treat the secondary bacterial infection that may occur.
My dog blows through the nose
When your dog has a blocked nose and has trouble breathing, he often tries to blow and puff, lowering his head. This is a symptom of nasal irritation. If it lasts more than one day, go to the vet to establish the proper diagnosis.
At home, you can relieve discomfort using water vapor. Close the bathroom door and open the hot shower. You can take advantage when you take a shower, leaving the dog inside the bathroom to breathe hot and humid steam, which will help clean the nostrils.
Also a massage The upper part of the nose and the area of the nose can help relieve nasal congestion.
Irritating agents in the nostrils generate a runny nose. As they also produce sneezing, the symptom An irritation is usually the presence of mucus, sneezing and difficulty breathing, sometimes with blows.
The nervous dogs they often secrete a transparent watery mucus that drips from the nose and is not a problem. This secretion is not accompanied by sneezing and disappears when the dog calms down.
But nevertheless, any runny nose that persists for hours It is significant. If it is watery and transparent, it can be a symptom of an allergic and viral rhinitis, while if it is thick, it is probably due to a bacterial or fungal infection.
Nasal discharge accompanied by nausea and retching is indicative of a problem. Also, foreign bodies, tumors or bacterial or fungal infections can generate a discharge with nasal bleeding.
Consult your veterinarian If any of these situations occur.
Although dogs do not get human cold viruses, they are suffering from various respiratory diseases that can be serious and whose symptoms are similar to those of our colds. Therefore, if your dog presents runny nose or runny nose, accompanied by ocular discharge, cough or sneezing, also come to you veterinary consultation.
How to decongest my dog's nose
Dogs breathe through their nose, except when they are panting. If your dog breathes through his mouth, it is a sign that his nostrils are clogged..
Generally, your dog's nasal congestion will not be major problems and will heal on its own. However, you can relieve your dog's discomfort by helping him decongest your nose:
- Prepare a soup and give it hot, without burning. The heat will help to decongest your nose, and the consumption of liquid> My dog sneezes. What I do?
Sneezing is a early nasal irritation symptom. If they are occasional, they are not serious, but if they are violent, do not stop or are accompanied by a runny nose, it may be due to a serious condition that requires veterinary control.
Prolonged sneezing causes inflammation and congestion of the nasal membranes, causing breathing to be noisy or for the dog to sip the mucus that is generated.
If your dog sneezes a lot, it may be due to several Causes:
- Excitation or anxiety. Nervous or excited dogs can sneeze. It is an unconscious reflex that is not serious and disappears when the dog calms down. However, if the sneezes do not remit, go to your veterinarian.
- Cold or respiratory illness. Respiratory diseases can be viral, bacterial or fungal. Go to your veterinarian to establish the proper diagnosis.
- Foreign body in the nostrils. As we already indicated in this article, it is important to go to the veterinarian to remove the body without harming your dog.
- Allergy. Go to your veterinary clinic to establish the appropriate treatment. I may prescribe antihistamines, estero> Conclusions