My puppy is sneezing and scratching. What's causing it and what to do?

Hi there. Sneezing could be caused by allergies, or an upper respiratory infection. If he's acting fairly normal otherwise (eating and drinking fine, active, etc.) you could opt to monitor him for now and see how things go for the next few days. The problem may resolve on its own, similar to when we get a minor cold or allergy flare-up. If there is no improvement in the next 2-3 days, or if your pup develops other symptoms such as coughing, thick green or yellow nasal discharge, or begins acting very lethargic or not eating, then I would recommend having him seen by a veterinarian for treatment.

This could be due to dust, or strong scents in the environment. I would first check to see if that's a possibility. Things like sand storms, construction, perfumes and smoke can irritate the nasal passages and cause them to sneeze like this. An infection is also possible. Sometimes they can get a mild infection similar to a cold. These infections have the possibility to go away on their own, or can get worse with time. The scratching is suspicious of an allergy, but could also be due to other things like fleas or mites. A vet would need to exam Margo in order to determine this. If Margo starts having nasal discharge, loses energy, or otherwise seems worse, then I'd recommend taking her to a vet. I hope that helps and Margo gets better soon.

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). 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

Poor Julian! Dogs can get respiratory illnesses and allergies, both of which can cause sneezing, coughing, and discharge like you've seen. In the case of infections, the discharge may become cloudy or yellow/green, whereas allergies tend to stay clear. In either case, since this has been ongoing a few days, it's a good idea to bring Julian into your vet. They can provide allergy medications or other treatments as needed depending on the cause. If you notice him worsening, the discharge changing color, fever, or changes in behavior or appetite, that's a sign that he needs to be seen sooner. Until then, keeping his eyes and nose clear with a clean washcloth can help keep him comfortable and prevent any debris from getting stuck and crusting his nostrils or eyes shut. Keeping him eating and drinking and in an area free of dust and dander can also help.

Aww, Nikko is such a cutie! I’m sorry he’s having some sneezing fits lately. Allergies or infections like kennel cough can set them off. So can being near cigarette or marijuana smoke, incense, candles, or having something small (blade of grass/bug) stuck up the nostril. There is not much you can do at home. If it’s non-stop, or happening frequently for more than 24 hours, see your vet to he’ll narrow down the causes and get recommendations for treatment. Best of luck to you and Nikko!

Allergies can occur due to various factors, it could be something in the food, something outside in the environment or something that comes from inside the house (storage mites for example). it is usually very difficult, sometimes impossible to find the cause of the allergies.

It's difficult to know what this is and in-turn how to treat this without seeing the lump, or being able to do an exam. Lumps in puppies are ofter due to infection, trauma, or may be from a vaccination reaction. Many of the causes will resolve on their own within a couple of weeks and does not need any specific treatment. If it's infection, then the lump will increase in size and will appear red. If it does this, or is not resolving within two weeks, then I recommend having him evaluated by a vet, so they can determine the cause and advise on the best treatment. If Cody is continuously sneezing throughout the day with yellow or greenish discharge, then I would also be suspicious of an upper respiratory infection and recommend taking him to the vet for examination and treatment. If it's one or two sneezes a day and you're not seeing much of the discharge from the nose, then I would not worry too much about it. I hope that helps and Cody gets better soon.