My Dog Has A Runny Nose – Common Causes And How To Help

If you own a dog or you want to own one, you should prepare yourself because it is tasking. Dogs are not as smart as humans, so they are prone to doing some things that have adverse effects; you need to caution the dog consistently for it to know what is good and bad. One of the common issues dogs experience is a runny nose, and you need to know the causes and how to help the dog.

The reasons your dog has a runny nose include allergies, an infection, nasal problems, tumors and polyps, bacteria infection, a blockage, parasitic infection, dental diseases, nasal irritation, distemper, and canine infectious respiratory disease complex. Calming and soothing a dog helps.

Regardless of the cause of a runny nose in your dog, you should endeavor to seek out treatment for it and provide it with some relief.

Common Causes Of Runny Nose In Dogs

If your dog has a runny nose, you need to pay attention to its health. Although a mild runny nose might not be a thing of concern when it persists for too long, making your dog feel uncomfortable, then it could be an indication of a health issue – your dog needs help.

To help treat your dog, you need to understand the causes of the runny nose. There are different causes of a runny nose in dogs; most times, it requires the attention of a veterinarian to identify the cause of a runny nose in dogs. Nevertheless, we will look at the most common causes of a runny nose in dogs.

The Dog Has Allergies

If your dog has a clear nasal discharge, it could be due to exposure to an allergy. Allergies in dogs could be gotten from food, the environment, and even drugs. When a dog has an allergy, one of the symptoms is a runny nose; there are other symptoms you should look out for.

When you notice your dog suffering from a runny nose due to an allergy, a way of treating and helping the dog is by identifying the allergen. Most times, it might be difficult for you to tell since you are not a professional vet. So, you will need to take the dog to a vet for tests to determine the cause and possible treatments.

The Dog Has A Foreign Substance In Its Nasal Passage

Another reason your dog could have a runny nose is the presence of a foreign substance in its nasal passage. Dogs have a sensitive nose and can explore and sniff different things they see around using their nose. During sniffing, seeds, grass, or wood splinters could get stuck in the dog’s nose, causing irritation.

This could cause the dog to have a nasal discharge and sometimes nosebleeds. When your dog has a foreign object, you should ensure you take the dog for treatment as soon as possible from a vet. If the dog does not get timely treatment, it could develop more severe health issues. So, the object should be removed as fast as possible.

The Dog Has A Nasal Tumor

Dogs can develop cancer in their nose, although such cases are rare. It usually affects older dogs more compared to younger dogs. If your dog has a running nose, coupled with sneezing, colored discharge with blood, nosebleeds, weight loss, and neurologic abnormalities, then the dog could be suffering from nasal tumors.

Nasal tumors are so small that you may never notice them, so they are usually diagnosed by a veterinarian conducting different scans and tests. After that, treatment options could include stereotactic radiosurgery, definitive radiation therapy, and stereotactic radiation therapy to battle cancer.

The Dogs Has An Infection

Infections, including fungi and bacteria, could be another reason why your dog has a runny nose. If the nasal discharge is thick, yellow, or green, it could be a fungal, bacteria, or fungal infection. Other symptoms to watch out for are foul odors, nosebleeds, sores, and pains around the dog’s nose, coupled with mucus.

Infections need to be quickly treated in dogs, as they would sometimes spread to the skull and eye, especially parasitic infections. A vet would prescribe the best form of treatment. Sometimes, antifungal medication and antibiotics would be administered to the dogs either orally or through the nose.

The Dog Has A Distemper

Distemper is a virus that affects unvaccinated dogs, and it is usually very contagious. When your dog has distemper, it causes a sticky and yellowish discharge from its nasal passage. Twitching, water eyes, convulsions, cough, and pneumonia are other symptoms to watch out for in the dog.

Distemper can be avoided in dogs by vaccination, as there is no cure for it. However, to help the dog, veterinarians often recommend treatment based on the dog’s symptoms. Painkillers, antibiotics, and sedatives could be administered to the dog. To prevent distemper, ensure your puppies get vaccinated three times between the ages of 8 to 16 weeks.

Why Does My Dog Have A Runny Nose And Sneezing?

If you notice your dog has a running nose and is sneezing, you might have to take the dog to a vet for a proper diagnosis to determine what is wrong. Different things could cause this in a dog. The common causes of a runny nose and sneezing are allergies, canine infectious respiratory disease, foreign objects, reverse sneezing, and dental diseases.

So, most times, you might be unable to tell the cause of the running nose and sneeze unless you take the dog to a vet for a medical checkup. Certain tests and some scans would be conducted on the dog to identify the cause of the running nose and sneezing. On rare occasions, sneezing could be caused by dental problems, tumors, and dog communication.

Why Does My Dog Have A Runny Nose At Night?

One of the reasons your dog has a runny nose at night is that when it is asleep, its immune system is at its weakest at night. So, if a dog has a fever or an allergy, it is increased at night. Also, if the dog has either a fungal, bacteria or viral infection, it gets worse by nightfall because of the weakened immune system.

This also happens with humans; you must have noticed that you tend to have a runny nose at night. You tend to get a bad fever, cough, cold, and runny nose after waking up from your night sleep. So, if you notice that your dog wakes up with a runny nose, you should take it to a vet because you might not be able to identify the cause.

Why Does My Dog Have A Runny Nose In The Morning?

One of the most common reasons a dog wakes up with a runny nose is poor sleeping position. When a dog sleeps in an awkward position, its nasal airways become partially obstructed. If the dog already has an allergic reaction, an infection (either bacteria, fungal, or viral), a nasal tumor, or has inhaled a foreign object, it worsens.

So, if your dog already has any of the causes of a runny nose, you should make sure the dog sleeps in a proper position so as not to aggravate the issue. As a dog owner, you need to ensure your dog remains healthy.

Final Thoughts

Your dog’s health should be of utmost importance to you, so you need to be observant and watchful to ensure your dog does not do something it should not do. A runny nose is common with dogs, and most times, it takes little effort to deal with it. As long as the cause of the runny nose is identified, it is easy to cure it.

Learn More:

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