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Seriously runny nose! Help!

C

Chester

New member
Hi everyone,

I joined Cavalier Talk in the hope of receiving some advice. My gorgeous 12 yr old Cav, Chester, has had an awfully runny nose and sneezing problem for months now. He's been back and forth to the Vet, had scopes to find any foreign bodies that might be causing it, but nothing showed. He's been on antibiotics but to no avail. And as it is only his right nostril that is the problem it doesn't seem to be an allergy. He's well and happy in other respects, but because my brother his wife and their new baby have moved home, poor Chester is mostly kept outside due to risk of infection. Poor woofer!

Has anybody experienced something similar? The amount of tissues I go through can't be good for the environment and poor Chess hates it that I'm forever wiping his nose!

Many thanks! Amanda :dogwlk:
 
On what is wrong with him -- have you tried taking him to a specialist? There's a point at which vets really can't diagnose a problem. Cats can get a common illness called cat flu where their noses may run all the time but I don't think there's anything similar in dogs.

I really wouldn't think there's any risk of infection to a baby from a dog's runny nose. Also it is not a very ideal situation for an elderly dog to be left alone outside -- this has got to be very lonely and potentially quite distressing for him and at that age in cold weather, uncomfortable as well. They really are an indoor breed and only have a single coat. not a double coat that would give better outdoor insulation.

Perhaps you could just give him a room to stay in when visitors are there? Or just get a exercise pen (xpen) for him, which is far kinder than being left outside much the time? and allows him to continue to be part of the action (I use mine all the time -- it is like a small playpen for the dog)? Or alternatively have a single room or two rooms where the baby is allowed and keep Chester out of those rooms? Or instead go visit your brother's home rather than have them at the house as often, which would make things easier for Chester, too? I would also suggest maybe the parents speak to their pediatrician and perhaps you could talk to your vet about the risk of cross-infection from a dog -- generally very few illnesses can jump species, and almost none from dog to humans and vice versa. If this isn't a cold, then it almost certainly is not a 'contagious to humans' illness and the baby is at no risk whatsoever. (y)
 
Hi Amanda,

We actually had a similar problem with Lady - a lot of sneezing and a runny nose. We went through the same thing as you with our vet. After ruling out something being stuck and an infection, he said that he thought it was due to our heat being on all the time (it's been a cold winter), that the dryness of the air was making her nose run. Since then, I've noticed that when we're able to turn off the heat or open the window for a bit, her nose doesn't run, and she's not as sneezy. While this was going on, neither my husband nor I got sick, so I do not think it's contagious. I'm not sure where you're located, but if the air is dry inside or out, that might be the problem - maybe a humidifier would help?
 
My sisters charlie had a runny nose & smelled awful, he had all sorts of tests done , it was finally solved by cleaning his ears out
 
Thanks everyone for your feedback!

(y) Firstly thank you all for responding - much appreciated!! I live in Northern NSW which is subtropical and we're at the tail end of summer so it's quite hot. Chester's space is an undercover veranda attached to the house and we spend alot of time out there so he's not alone all the time...I know these dogs have a problem with loneliness too and are really social so I wouldn't neglect him! But certainly he hasn't been inside as much as he used to and probably doesn't receive the pats or attention from people (besides myself) that he used to due to the running nose.

To be honest, I hadn't heard of Cavalier specialists and live in a regional area but perhaps there exists such a thing in the city? I'm about 3 hours drive from Brisbane so could investigate that up there - thanks for the suggestion.

I'm interested in the link between the running nose and cleaning of ears - I'll try that this afternoon and see if it has an effect - thats a fabulous idea.

Thanks again everyone! I'll let you know how he goes!

Best wishes, Amanda
 
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