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Clinical Evaluation of Nasal Discharge in Small Animals
Nasal discharge is a common clinical finding in veterinary practice that may indicate underlying respiratory, dental, or systemic pathology. Proper diagnosis requires a systematic approach to differentiate between primary rhinitis, foreign bodies, neoplasia, and dental-related disease.
Clinical summary
- Clinical signs
- Unilateral or bilateral discharge (serous, mucoid, mucopurulent, or hemorrhagic), sneezing, stertor, facial deformity, epistaxis, and halitosis.
- Possible causes
- Viral infections (FHV-1, FCV), bacterial rhinitis, fungal rhinitis (Aspergillosis), foreign bodies, dental disease (odontogenic disease), nasal neoplasia, and oronasal fistulas.
- Diagnostic approach
- Physical examination, dental radiographs or CT scan of the skull, rhinoscopy, nasal swabs for cytology/culture, and biopsy of suspected masses.
- Management
- Treatment is etiology-specific: antibiotics for bacterial secondary infections, antifungal therapy (e.g., clotrimazole) for fungal disease, surgical removal of foreign bodies or masses, and dental extraction for oronasal disease.
References
- [1]Nelson, R.W. and Couto, C.G.. Small Animal Internal Medicine (2019)
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