Why is my senior dog's face swollen with eye discharge and sneezing?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Neo! I am concerned about the swelling on her nose. Since she isn't responding to antibiotics I would worry that she has a tooth root abscess, a nasal tumor or a fungal infection in her nasal cavity. I would do full blood work and then sedated her to take skull X-rays and X-ray the teeth on that side of her face. I hope this helps and I wish Neo the very best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, a CT scan would be the next diagnostic for something like this. This is very important as I am afraid this could either be a nasal cancer or possibly a severe nasal fungal infection. A CT scan helps to distinguish these conditions and a biopsy will help confirm it. Rhinoscopy is needed in some cases to better visualize the nasal cavity after the CT scan is done. Good luck and have a great day!

I'm so sorry to hear that Spike is having this problem. From your history, it sounds like the nasal discharge started before the dental operation. If that is the case and the dental did not improve the discharge, then it might be time to take some x-rays of the nose and teeth. If there is a tooth that is infected at the root, it may look normal in the mouth, but may have signs of infection on x-rays. That can also cause swelling. The only treatment will be to remove the tooth. Cancer will most commonly cause bleeding instead of just normal nasal discharge, but is always possible. Unfortunately, it sounds like Spike needs some more testing to figure out what is going on and determine the best treatment to make him feel better. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Left nasal cavity seems full of discharge and bone seems affected as well (so whatever is inside is causing bone erosion as well). It is not possible to determine what it is specifically from the CT images and a further investigation is unfortunately needed. Was rhinoscopy performed? was a biopsy taken? Otherwise aggressive treatment for fungal infection is required (not only oral treatment but often ''flush'' of the nasal cavity is necessary to have substantial results. 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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Cosmo. I recommend that he sees a veterinarian today. I worry that he has an abscess. A tooth root abscess is common in that area of a dog's face. This can occur when there is damage to a large tooth in the back of the mouth. The root can become infected causing a swelling below the eye. Of course, there could be another cause. The veterinarian will examine him and may recommend anesthesia to determine if thisbis the case. The teeth can be cleaned and x-rays taken to look for an abscess. If present, the tooth will likely be extracted. I hope this information helps!

It sounds like this might be due to an allergy or autoimmune problem given the response to corticosteroids. Sometimes the lymph tissue associated with the third eyelid can become enlarged and I’m wondering if that is the case with the right eye, but it’s difficult to say without being able to examine in person. If the symptoms are not resolving with treatment you may want to ask your vet about referral to an ophthalmologist.

These signs seem to be related with an upper respiratory tract infection/inflammation and possibly to a severe form of rhinitis (infective, allergic or inflammatory). The eye signs may be secondary to the upper respiratory tract problem. An immediate check up is required to confirm this clinical suspicion and give appropriate treatment. Antibiotics may be required. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (one to one chat) if you require further assistance.