Symptoms of Canine Nasal Cancer

Canine nasal cancer is a serious but overlooked problem, often treated as a simple bacterial or fungal infection. It can also mimic a virus, treated with antibiotics that do little to cure your pet's condition. Early treatment can slow or even stop the metastasization of a cancerous tumor and increase your pet's quality and length of life. If you suspect your dog has this cancer, have it treated immediately.

  1. Primary Symptoms

    • The most common symptoms of canine nasal cancer are nosebleeds, frequent sneezing, breathing with a loud snoring sound, chronic discharge from the nose, lethargy, and facial deformity or swelling. These symptoms seem to mimic other disorders, such as respiratory diseases, and sometimes aren't diagnosed in time to avoid a fatal condition.

    Other Symptoms

    • Other symptoms of canine nasal cancer are excessive sneezing, tears in eyes, bad breath, loss of appetite for a long length of time and bulging eyes. A runny nose may be the symptom of a simple bacteria or virus. However, when blood, mucus or pus is running from the nose, it's most likely a sign of canine nasal cancer or a fungal infection.

    Metastasization

    • Metastasization may occur during canine nasal cancer, affecting the brain and ocular sites. If cancer spreads to the ocular sites, discharge from the eyes, vision problems, bulging of the eyes and blindness can occur. Metastasization that causes a tumor to press against the brain may result in seizures, confusion, loss of balance and behavioral changes. Mental dysfunction and neurological deficiencies may occur as well.