Swelling between my dogs eyes.

Question
Hi, I have an otherwise healthy chihuahua whose snout is swollen (between and a little below his eyes). It's only swollen in this one area, no where else. His nose is not dripping and there is no discharge from it. He seems a little lethargic, and it is sensitive to the touch. This happened two days ago, but was gone by morning so I didn't worry about it; now it is happening again and tomorrow is New Years, so the vet will be closed. Do you have any idea what could be causing this swelling? And what can I do to help it? Thank you.

Answer
Hi Leah,

Thank you for writing to me about your Chi's swollen snout.  Poor baby..This could be an allergy, something lodged in his nasal cavity, a cyst, any number of things.  Doesn't your vet have an emergency number?  If so, give him a call and hope that he responds.

My gut feeling is to give a baby portion of benedryl. If this is being caused by an allergic reaction it will bring the swelling down.  If not, it shouldn't do any harm.  

Since it went back down the first time, hopefully it will go down again today.  Even if the swelling does diminish, I would suggest contacting your vet and setting up an appt to have your dog's nose scoped to determine what's going on.

Keep a close watch and make sure that he's breathing properly.  Keep him calm and quiet.  

Best of luck and I hope that the rest of the year is trouble free.

Regards,
Shelley Davis