# anyone having allergy issues--nasal mucas



## Mia's Mum (Mar 11, 2011)

Hi,
My Mia has been struggling for 2 months now. at one point I thought I would have to let her go. She seemed to have a nasal blockage preventing her from breathing freely. Since dogs don't naturally want 2 breathe thru the mouth, unless panting, she would continue in vain 2 get breath thru her nose. She lost 1.5 lbs in 2 weeks(normally 4.5lbs). Once she became totally blocked she did use her mouth. She tried sleeping standing or sitting as she would stop breathing in her sleep. She is accustomed to sleeping with chin down. 

The vet put her under for an xray and look behind her soft palette. She had loads of green mucus! Vet said she'd never seen that much mucus in a dog so small. There was no sign of tumor, cysts or fungus. They flushed her sinuses and continued on prednisone n antibiotic. She greatly improved. Once I weened her off the prednisone she got bad again and has yet to improve.

The final thought is allergy and/or nasal abnormality. She sounds congested or like she is snoring a lot of the time, especially when outside. Has any of you experienced anything similar? Mia does have allergies that caused eye staining and leg chewing. I dealt with that successfully with grain-free, single source protein kibble.

She is no longer the bouncy, barky little bunny I so adore. any input would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Aww, I'm so sorry Mia's been having problems  Poor angel. Has your vet recommended any allergy meds? I know some of our babies have been helped by Zyrtec and Benadryl. I hope it's something that can be easily treated. 

Hugs,


----------



## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

My Lily has nasal allergies and gets post-nasal drip..she weighs 4 pounds and has a tiny nose. It definitely sounds like your Mia has the same thing. Lily's tiny nose also gets very stuffy and one of her nostrils actually swells shut! It makes them so miserable. It sounds like your baby developed a sinus infection, poor thing. Did your vet recommend any antihistamines? You will probably have to keep her on one. Spring and fall are the worst times for my Lily. The Children's Benadryl is usually the first one to be tried. It worked for us for awhile, but now Lily is taking hydroxyzine. Zyrtec is another one. I would also take her back for a re-check. It sounds like she had a really bad infection and it may not be completely gone. She may need to be on another round of antibiotics. I hope your baby gets better.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

If it continues I would get a referral to a facility that can scope and/or do a CT Of her sinuses. That is not at all normal. It could be as simple as a piece of grass stuck up there, a congenital malformation of the nasal passages making them too small, or even a tumor. I would not let it go if things have not completely resolves with medication.


----------



## Mia's Mum (Mar 11, 2011)

Thank you both april & elisabeth for your reply. I didn't mention that she is still on prednisone, which seemed the only thing that gave any relief. It's just not as effective as it was at 1st. She tried 3 diff antibiotics, the 3rd was based on her mucus being sent to a lab. It made her so sick she wouldn't eat n was eating grass. The antihistamine from the vet didn't help either. They did find that one nostril doesn't drain properly. It drains into the opposite nostril rather than down her throat. 

I will definitely ask about zyrtec n hydroxyzine as I really want her off daily prednisone. I will have to start a list of what she's taken n how it's worked since this may be or life. It is so hard 2 see her suffer. U just feel powerless n inadequate.


----------



## Mia's Mum (Mar 11, 2011)

JMM, that is why I came 2 u guys, I don't want to give up. I'm hoping I can give her a better quality of life than she has right now. She is too small to scope n the vet feels there is no evidence 2 suggest tumor or cancer. We did discuss a cat scan. the vet felt it was prob a defect of some sort that a scan would confirm, but that couldn't be fixed. I'm only working part time right now so $1300 to confirm...if it were to fix, I'd spend double gladly. Thank you for your ideas, I knew w/this many maltese lovers, I'd get plenty of input.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

You can get a CT scan cheaper if you go to a vet school. Purdue is only like 3-4 hours from you. It is not true that nothing can be done. Depending on the problem there are all sorts of solutions (some surgical, some things you can do at home to flush things out regularly, topical meds you spray in the nose).


----------



## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

We're having allergy issues right now (living in Florida and pollen) so mine are taking Zyrtec and my littlest girl Kelly snorts every now and then from a stuffy nose, so i have been using "Animal Apawthercary Eye and Nose Drops" and it seems to help her stuffy nose. ANIMALS' APAWTHECARY Eye & Nose Drops for Pets 1 oz Hope that helps.


----------



## Mia's Mum (Mar 11, 2011)

jmm said:


> You can get a CT scan cheaper if you go to a vet school. Purdue is only like 3-4 hours from you ... some things you can do at home to flush things out regularly, topical meds you spray in the nose).


Of the 3 vet schools close by; Ill, Perdue, MSU, Perdue was the only one I could get on the phone, they gave me a $1300-$1800 price range as they require a full work up b4 the scan? We tried antibiotic drops in the nose along w/a broad spectrum antibiotic. She did better when I was just giving her Nettle Leaf extract. I would love to flush her sinuses at home, I think that along w/nettle would allow her to get off prednisone. Do you have info on that or do I need to consult a vet? when they did it, she was under anesthesia.


----------



## Mia's Mum (Mar 11, 2011)

mysugarbears said:


> ANIMALS' APAWTHECARY Eye & Nose Drops for Pets 1 oz Hope that helps.


Debbie, thanks for the suggestion. I like the ingredients. If its not something I can have fixed, I'd like to try as many natural ways to relieve her discomfort as possible. Some days r worse than others. Today she is bouncy-barky, 2 days ago you would have thought she was a senior dog walking slowly, tail at half mast, laying around...somedays she won't even open her eyes fully n they r filled w/goop.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Was fungal infection ruled out? 

Personally, I feel this is very unusual in a young dog and I wouldn't sit on it if it were my dog.


----------



## Mia's Mum (Mar 11, 2011)

jmm said:


> Was fungal infection ruled out?
> 
> Personally, I feel this is very unusual in a young dog and I wouldn't sit on it if it were my dog.


Fungal was ruled out, thankfully, and the xray was clear we checked her teeth, too. For several weeks I was worried sick. She couldn't sleep at night, or eat and no drugs were working. she was really suffering. 

The vet feels we've ruled out all but allergy or nasal abnormality, I kinda trust that. I want to find a better way to treat it than long term steriod use. She's talking prednisone until she doesn't need it (seasonal allergy) or until she dies. 

I'm living on credit right now, so if i charged $1300 only to be told "yup, it's allergies, deal with it" I'd really be devastated. My plan is to research as much as I can til summer. If it's not a seasonal allergy, i will hopefully have more ideas to pursue and/or more money. I greatly appreciate your input. No vet can know everything, soI believe in doing my part. Sites like this are excellent resources.


----------



## luvmyfluffybutt (Jan 6, 2012)

Daisy was having some trouble breathing through her nose, so I took her to the vet, they had me get Children's Benadryl for her. I think I'm going to try the natural drops since she gets cottonmouth and passes out from the Benadryl.


----------



## maggieh (Dec 16, 2007)

Darla:

Where in the Chicago area are you located? There are some very good vet clinics in the area that go beyond what your "regular" vet might do without going to Purdue or UIUC.

Of the antihistamines, I had good luck with chlorpheniramine (chlor-trimaton). I believe the dosage for Sweetness was 1/4 of a 4 mg tablet 2 times daily. Good luck!


----------



## Mia's Mum (Mar 11, 2011)

Hi Maggie, I'm in the far south suburbs, Matteson. The antihistamine Mia used was clemastine fumarate, it had no effect. I will look into chlorpheniramine. thx much


----------



## Mia's Mum (Mar 11, 2011)

*THaNK YOU, THaNK YOU, THaNK YOU!*

I just want to say THaNK YOU to all that responded to this thread. Mia is having her 3rd good day in a row! She is bouncy, barky and best of all, full of kisses for her mum!!! I cant explain how good it feels to have my baby girl back. It has given me such peace of mind to know this is not some rare problem and there are many treatment options. I will be looking into all the suggestions given and hope to be ready when this happens again.

I've had sinus issues for over 30yrs, but I never knew dogs could have them too. Thanks for your support. You guys are the BEST!


----------

