Everyone at one time or another may experience a bloody nose, whether it is your or one of your family members, especially a child. My children have had them when growing up and sometimes appearing more serious than the nosebleed really is. Kids seem to bleed profusely at times from their noses. Children especially seem to be affected and it seems to be a common occurrence with humans for various reasons. You may wonder if dogs can get a bloody nose, and the fact is that they can get a nose bleed, also known as epistaxis.
According to Dr. Jon on the Pet Place and the Vetinfo.com, there are various reasons that your dog may get a bloody nose. Some of the causes may be due to an injury, trauma or accident to the nasal membranes, ingesting a poisonous substance such as rat poison, nasal foreign bodies, dental disease, nasal tumors, bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections as well as certain blood disorders. If your dog does have a bloody nose, get immediate veterinary care. No particular breed of dog is predisposed to epistaxis as well as no particular gender. However, dog breeds with a longer nose such as the Collie can be at a higher risk for a tumor in the nasal cavity which can cause a nose bleed.
Most often a blood clot will form and the nose bleed will stop on its own. If your dog shows signs of a nose bleed, like the droplets of blood on the floor and/or the furniture, vetinfo.com states that you can take immediate action by first staying calm and placing an ice pack on the bridge of its nose. Do not close the nostrils or your dog won’t be able to breathe, but you can try to apply some direct pressure to the top of the affected nostril. This may confuse your dog so that is why it is necessary to be calm, don’t stress out the dog, speak in a kind, soft tone and move slowly. In the meantime, you or someone else in the home should be contacting your veterinarian, especially if the bleeding persists.
As documented on petplace.com, there are other signs of a nose bleed problem such as when your dog sneezes out blood, the nose seems to be swollen, fractured teeth or dental problems, a black tarry stool due to swallowing blood, a foul odor emitted from the nose or mouth as well as noisy breathing and loss of appetite.
A visit with your vet to perform various tests will get a diagnosis of the cause of the nose bleed. Tests may include a complete blood count, biochemistry serums, a urinalysis, platelet counts, radiographs, an MRI, CT scans, just to name a few that would be decided upon by your own doctor. Treatment for your dog’s nosebleed will depend upon the diagnosis and severity of the condition.
If your dog gets a nosebleed which you can stop with immediate at home attention, chances are it was minor and won’t recur. If the bleeding persists and/or continues to reoccur, do not hesitate to get veterinary care. Although a nosebleed can be a common occurrence for some humans and animals, it can also be due to a more severe problem. It is always better to be safe than sorry and get your dog in to see the doctor to rule out any serious causes.
http://www.petplace.com/dogs/epistaxis-in-dogs/page1.aspx
http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-vet-library/vetqa/articlenosebleed.aspx
http://www.vetinfo.com/dog-nose-bleed-care.html