My dog woke up with a runny nose and thick mucus. Vet or wait?

Take her to your veterinarian for an immediate check up. This sign is compatible with a upper respiratory tract infection (fungal, bacterial/viral more common) of the nasal mucosa. Antibiotics may be needed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I recommend purchasing a basket muzzle either from amazon or from your local pet store and scheduling an appointment with your vet. That much thick nasal discharge definitely indicates either a bacterial or viral respiratory infection that can possibly lead to pneumonia (expensive/difficult to treat and possibly life threatening) if not treated early. Your vet may write a script for Xanax and dispense trazadone to be given prior to the appointment. Good luck! Keno is a good looking shepherd!

Unfortunately not much you can effectively do back home. This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a chronic rhinitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! That is not likely to help much if at all due to the long nose of a dog. This is likely an upper respiratory infection. This is usually treated with antibiotics. I recommend that you have your pup evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for this possibility and start therapy accordingly. Best of luck!

Poor Jake. If the snot is green or yellow in color then he will need to see a vet because this is an upper respiratory secondary bacterial infection. A short course of antibiotics should clear this up as long as he doesn't have any other complications. If he is having a hard time breathing you can use a humidifier or place him in the bathroom with the shower running for about 10 minutes to help moisturizer his nasal passage and break up some of the mucous until you can get him seen by your vet. Also offering him slightly warmed cans of wet dog food can entice him to eat if his appetite has decreased somewhat. After he is better I would make it a point to get his Bordetella vaccine done every 6 months to help protect him from upper respiratory infections in the future. I hope your furry friend feels better soon. Take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If you are waiting until your regular vet opens, you can try putting her in the bathroom with a hot shower on to use the steam in the room to help break up the mucus. I would keep her in there for about 15-20 minutes 3-4 times today. It sounds like Peanut may have an upper respiratory infection. Another possibility is an infected tooth. I recommend taking her to your vet tomorrow for an exam and antibiotics. Good luck and kisses to Peanut!

Poor guy. Upper respiratory infections in dogs are usually caused by a bacterial infection. Other possible causes are a fungal infection, or allergies. It's best to take him to the vet to get examined and medications to treat this. If he does have an upper respiratory infection then he will be prescribed oral antibiotics to take care of it. I hope he gets well soon!