senior cocker spaniel w/nasal discharge

Question
hello:
pls. help: i have a 14yr old cocker spaniel who is just overcoming 'vestibular disease'and now i've noticed that he has a 'cloudy'discharge from his left nostril. This nostril was bleeding for a short time the other morning and i took him to my vet who thought maybe he had hit his head, due to imbalance...This started yesterday (6/26/04), and it doesn't last very long, just 'weeping' on and off thru the a.m. so far today. He has also been 'blowing his nose' more often than usual.

my vet has him on antibiotics for 10 days (5 to go), since he had cauterized some 'warts' from his head while he was in for his vestibular episode.  he's doing better w/that, not as much circling and has a better appetite.

Pls. let me know ASAP!
thank you,
mercedes s.


Answer
Hi Mercedes!  I am so happy to hear that he is doing so much better and making a great recovery from the vestibular disease.  I would definatley talk to your veterinarian again about the nasal discharge.  Dogs normally do not get bloody noses from hitting their head, ect.  Every dog that I have seen that had a bloody nose was given a rhinoscopy to look up the nasal canal.  A rhinoscopy is a thin tube with a tiny camera on the end.  It enables a veterinarian to see the cause of bleeding or other anbormalities.  Usually a bloody nose and nasal discharge means a foreign body is present in the nasal canal.  This couls be a cyst, a tumor, an abcess, ect.  You may want to talk to your veterinarian about this, as if there is something harmful in his nasal canal, you would want it out as soon as possible.
Please let me know how he does,
Hilary