Presented here for anyone else whose dog might suffer from canine chronic inflammatory rhinitis (or acute rhinitis, which is Katie’s current state).
Overview
Rhinitis is an inflammation of the lining of the nose. This is an upper respiratory tract disease; the upper respiratory tract includes the nose, nasal passages, throat (pharynx), and windpipe (trachea).
The most common causes of chronic nasal discharge in dogs include nasal neoplasia, fungal rhinitis, and lymphoplasmacytic rhinitis (LPR) which is also referenced as inflammatory rhinitis.
Primary bacterial infection of the canine nasal cavity is rare. If a dog responds to antibiotics, it is usually considered to be a secondary infection.
Symptoms
See image. Also:
Sneezing, in an attempt to clear the upper airways of discharge, is seen most frequently in acute rhinitis and tends to come and go in cases of chronic rhinitis.
Allergy?
There is some speculation that respiratory allergy may manifest with signs of chronic rhinitis as is seen in humans, although evidence of allergic rhinitis as a recognized disease entity in dogs has yet to be established. It is possible that dogs with [inflammatory rhinitis] exhibit a heightened immune response to inhaled environmental allergens; however, no published studies to date have demonstrated an allergic inflammatory pattern in dogs with naturally occurring [inflammatory rhinitis]
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Although rhinitis is a common manifestation of allergy in humans, there is little reported evidence of allergic rhinitis in dogs.
Diagnosis
This is a diagnosis that comes from eliminating other possibilities.
- Bronchoscopy to examine bronchial passages
- Rhinoscopy to examine the nasal cavity.
Note: Some post-surgical bleeding from the nose is expected; it may be observed for a few days.
Treatment
Experiments are us …
Animals respond poorly to antibiotics, oral glucocorticoids, and antihistamines…
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Some dogs may respond partially to doxycycline [that’s Katie]
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No effective treatment regimen for [inflammatory rhinitis] has been established; therefore, animals are commonly treated with a variety of medications including antibiotics, antiinflammatory drugs (glucocorticoids: oral or topical, or nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs), antihistamines, and antifungal medications.
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Some patients with [inflammatory rhinitis] will be able to come completely off of medication while others will need to be on life-long medication.
Sources
- Chronic Rhinitis in Dogs, BluePearl Specialty Medicine
- Lobetti, R., 2014, ‘Idiopathic lymphoplasmacytic rhinitis in 33 dogs’, Journal of the South African Veterinary Association. 85(1)
- Nasal Disease in Dogs, Veterinary Specialists of Rochester
- Pietra, M., Spinella, G., Pasquali, F., Romagnoli, N., Bettini, G., & Spadari, A. (2010). Clinical findings, rhinoscopy and histological evaluation of 54 dogs with chronic nasal disease. Journal of Veterinary Science, 11(3)
- “Rhinitis and sinusitis” in Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult: Canine and Feline, Fifth Edition, Larry P. Tilley and Francis W.K. Smith, Jr.
- Rhinitis and sinusitis in dogs, Merck Vet Manual
- Windsor, R.C. and Johnson, L.R., May 2006, ‘Canine chronic inflammatory rhinitis’, Topics in Companion Animal Medicine. 21(2) / Full Text on Academia.edu
Image: Katie in her bed, en route home from surgery
