Nose Bleeds in Dogs

A dog nose bleed may have a variety of causes.  Known scientifically as epistaxis, something as simple as a blade of grass stuck in your dog’s nose can cause a dog nose bleed. Or a dog nose bleed may indicate that there’s something more serious going on — from infections to diseases to cancerous tumors.  It can also be caused by trauma to the nose itself often resulting in fungal or bacterial infections.

When your dog has a nose bleed, recognizing whether the bleeding is unilateral or bilateral — in other words, whether it’s coming from one or both nostrils — plays a big role in how your dog is diagnosed and treated.  If your pet is bleeding from only one nostril, it may indicate that the bleeding is due to a tooth abscess or a benign or cancerous mass on one side of the face, or a foreign body that a dog inhaled and got lodged in one side of the nose. On the other hand, dogs with congenital or acquired diseases of the clotting system, fungal or bacterial nasal infections, or trauma to the nose often have bleeding from both sides of the nose

Treatment of a dog nose bleed will vary widely depending on the cause. A tick-borne disease may require antibiotics, a tooth root abscess or a benign polyp might call for anesthesia and a removal of the tooth or mass, and a clotting disorder due to the ingestion of a toxin such as rat bait is treated with blood products to replace lost blood and administered an antidote.  When in doubt, we recommend that you seek advice from your veterinarian immediately.