Dog With Constant Nosebleeds Was 'worst Example Seen'
2 years ago 
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A vet has described a young dog suffering from severe and constant nosebleeds as “the worst example I’ve ever seen”.
Dr Rosie Ellis, from Linnaeus-owned My Vet in Lucan, County Dublin, was stunned when she examined two-year-old Rottweiler cross Simba, who had been plagued with extreme nose bleeds for six months.
Tests revealed the treasured pet was suffering from an aggressive infection of his nasal passages, sinuses and lymph nodes which had left him in very poor condition.
She explained: “Simba came to My Vet after repeated episodes of epistaxis (nose bleeds) over the previous six months.
“In that time, he had undergone three rhinoscopies (cameras into nasal cavities) followed with nasal flushes which had always improved the situation temporarily, but the epistaxis had ultimately returned.
“When I first saw Simba, his epistaxis was severe and partially bilateral on presentation. He was tachycardic (rapid heart rate), hyperthermic (abnormally high body temperature) and reasonably pale.
“His blood count also showed he was suffering from mild anaemia and there were obvious signs of infection, mostly likely a bacterial infection.
“We immediately sent Simba for a CT scan and the images highlighted a nasty, destructive nasal fungus called Aspergillus.
“Aspergillus is an infection that destroys the intricate, bony nasal turbinates and can cause sclerosis of the bones that make up the walls of the nasal cavity.
“It is typical to also observe fluid filled nasal sinuses and a regional lymphadenopathy (disease of the lymph nodes) so Simba’s images were text-book!
“In fact, it was the worst case I have ever seen and I have encountered many cases of Aspergillosis in dogs but never with such a substantially bad epistaxis!”
Fortunately for Simba, there was expert help at hand and he underwent a process called trephination, where a veterinary surgeon drills small holes into the sinuses and then uses them to perform a flush to clear out the nasal passages.
An anti-fungal medication is then instilled into the sinuses through the same holes to counter the bacterial infection.
Dr Rosie added: “Simba visited the wonderful surgeons at Vet Specialists, Ireland, who performed a sinus trephination and nasal flush with instillation of Clotrimazole, not once but twice!”
Founded in 2005, My Vet is a family practice employing more than 50 staff across its three sites and partnered with Linnaeus earlier this year.
For more information about Linnaeus, visit www.linnaeusgroup.co.uk or search for Linnaeus on social media. For more information about My Vet, visit www.myvet.ie.
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