I am looking for a second opinion on a health issue. My 5 year old Cairn Terrier started reverse sneezing a few months ago which was a shock as he'd never done this. It wasn't too troublesome and would occur every now and then and was relieved by pinching his nostrils - at this point there was no mucous or sneezing. This was followed approx a month later by sneezing of sticky clear mucous. The mucous turned from clear to white and it appeared to be in his left nostril. Anithistamines didn't seem to ease the problem.

We visited our local vet and he checked lungs, heart, teeth etc and our dog seemed quite normal and healthy in every other respect. The vet prescibed anti-histamines and anitbiotics to clear the infection as vet suspected it was a seasonal allergy. Things seem to improve but shortly after the antibiotics were finished, the white mucous with sneezing returned. A second period of the same antibiotics was prescribed and an appointment for a day of tests arranged.

Last week our Cairn went in for general anaesthetic x-ray, two nasal washes and swabs for lab investigation. Alas after his recovery, he started sneezing and producing mucous from his RIGHT nostril instead of the left? The vet called today and I advised him the problem had now switched to the alternative nostril. The vet advised me all tests for bacteria, fungus, particles came nack negative. The x-ray looked normal with no masses or evidence of bone erosion or polyps. He seems to think that nothing sinister is going on and was pleased that nasty fungal infection was ruled out but it remains a mystery.

Our dilemma is that our vet has now suggested a visit to the vet hospital for an endoscope and biopsy to establish the cause. I have to admit to being somewhat reluctant to put my Cairn under more anaesthetic so soon after his last tests and wonder how successful an endoscope will be to determine the cause. What happens if, yet again, there is no evidence of anything in the nasal passages? How far do they go with the testing? and what do they do if they cant establish a cause?

I just wonder about putting the brakes on the tests and trying an alternative approach ie. stop the anitbiotics and antihistamines and see how our dog reacts - does it get worse or stay the same? Would an alternative antibiotic be worth trying before this invasive procedure? My dog is eating normally and is still running around chasing a ball but I have noticed that the past two days as soon as we open the door to go for his walk he starts sneezing once more. The sneezing continues for a good part of the walk and then seems to settle once he's expelled a quantity of mucous. It has been an odd few months as some days he doesn't sneeze at all and we think he's ok and then he has a bad couple of days again. Yesterday was a bad day for him with lots of sneezing fits and hitting his head off the ground as it's quite explosive at times. He is sleeping now but when he wakes you can hear he is congested in his nose.

Can you help with any suggestions on the course of tests or alternatives that we could try? Thanking you, in advance.

Hi There,

Thank you for sharing your current situation with your lovely Cairn Terrier. I am unable and it would be wrong of me to provide you with a second opinion without seeing your dog or speaking with your vet though and to me it sounds like your vet has done a very thorough and proper work up of this case to date. In any situation where you're trying to work out what the cause of a problem is, there are a logical sequence of steps to take. Your vet has approached this case exactly the same way that I would have and as there is still no known cause for the on-going problem, they are correctly suggesting further diagnostic steps.

It is absolutely your decision on whether or not you wish to pursue further testing and I completely understand your reluctance to put him under another General Anaesthetic. The endoscopy and biopsy approach would allow for a small camera to be put down his nasal passages so that your vet could see if there is something causing an obstruction or similar that wouldn't easily show on xrays e.g. nasal polyps or a foreign body such as a grass seed. However, the outcome could still draw a blank if there is nothing grossly abnormal visible on endoscope, but it may also rule out some of the above potential causes. This is really what we call a 'diagnosis of exclusion' i.e. to try to work out what the problem is, we take a methodical approach to rule things out as we investigate.

It is also very much an option to do exactly as your proposing and withdraw current treatment to assess his response, but you must work closely with your vet if you decide on this approach. It may well be seasonal, particularly if it happens just prior to your walk or it may be excitement induced or similar. If there is something causing an obstruction then it is likely that it would remain a problem if you stop treatment though, so you may end up going down the endoscopy route anyway. If the tests your vet took have also returned negative for bacteria and fungii, then it is also unlikely that changing antibiotics will cure the problem, but please speak with your vet to obtain their opinion as they have seen and treated your dog.

I hope that helps a little, but I must stress that I can't give you any valid opinion without seeing your dog myself or speaking with your vet to obtain a full clinical history. Your vet sounds like they have done an exceptionally thorough job to date and I would have every confidence in their ability to help get to the root of this problem. You are also always within your rights and welcome to ask your vet to refer you to a veterinary specialist clinic for a 2nd opinion.

Good luck!
Zara The Vet

Hi Zara,

Thank you so much for your detailed reply - it is much appreciated. We decided to go for the vet's referral with the Soft Tissue Surgeon at a Vet Hospital close to our home. The specialist decided against endoscope and instead a CT Scan was conducted to avoid any unnecessary invasive procedures but they spotted a lesion on the right hand side and performed a biopsy immediately.

The surgeon called and advised that he was unable to see clearly the mass on the endoscope camera and they struggled to get tissue as it was located quite far back. After much prodding they have obtained the samples but he suspects cancer although it may still be fungal and we will have to wait a week for the results. They have also taken bloods. His words were 'He is a lovely happy little dog from a loving happy family and that goes a long way in these circumstances so I will discharge him tonight as you need to be together'.....I can not praise the surgeon and the hospital stuff enough....they have been wonderful.

We are devastated as our little Cairn is only 5 years old and full of life. It's going to be along week until the results. The surgeon has already advised that surgery wont be an option and would only offer radio therapy to prolong life but we wont be going down that road. That would be selfish on our part as a way of keeping him with us a bit longer at any cost. No, if it's terminal then our boy will be in a loving home and when it all gets too much we will take him to our vet to assist his passage and release him from any pain. BUT we remain hopeful that Friday could bring better news but the surgeon has prepared us for the worst scenario.

Hi,

I am finding this incredibly freaky coming across this article. I also have a 5 year old Cairn terrier who is exhibiting exactly the same symptoms as yours and almost exactly to the same sort of timescale.

I would be interested to know what part of the world you are in? We are from Northern Ireland.

We have gone down pretty much the same approach as you. Oscar(the name of the cairn) has been on 2 courses of noroclav antibiotics and is now also on his second course of antirobe. He is also on a daily steroid. None of these seem to have given him any improvement. He has days where he will reverse sneeze with very little normal sneezing then he will have days where he just can't stop sneezing and there is a clear to yellowish mucus discharge.

He is also the same when we take him out for a walk he will sneeze excessively when he first goes outside then gradually it will calm down as the walk progresses.

Oscar is also as energetic as ever and apart from the sneezing/reverse sneezing you would think he is a normal healthy dog. He is eating/drinking as usual. The only problem that we have noticed is that he seems to find it difficult to get to sleep at night. He is very restless and you can see quite clearly he is breathing faster than normal but we are putting that down to him struggling to breathe through his nose due to whatever this issue is.

We haven't had the tests done for bacteria/funghi but he has had an exploratory rhinoscopy(without biopsy). The rhinoscopy found that his nasopharynx was very thickened and inflamed and that his trachea was a little bit pink. The vet seemed a bit perplexed by it all and in all honesty I don't think he knows what it is. He prescribed the antirobe and steroid but no improvement has been seen in the 8 days since the rhinoscopy was carried out.

He didn't do a biopsy as he said it would be quite awkward to biopsy the nasopharynx due to position and risk of heavy bleeding and that he wanted to try the anti biotics and steroids first. That was 8 days ago and there has been no improvement. We took him to the Vet again yesterday and they said another week on the anti biotics and if no improvement then they will do a biopsy. As you can imagine I am reluctant to put him through another anesthetic so soon especially with the risk of bleeding but I feel like there is no other choice.

I would be interested to hear from you to see what has changed with your cairns condition in the past month and whether you have found out a cause.

I will also keep in touch with any changes in Oscars condition or any further investigations from the vet.

Kind regards,

Tom

Hi There,

Thank you for updating me & I'm very glad you went for a referral with your little dog. I'm so sorry to hear about the potential outcome though, but I would urge you to remain hopeful. He is a relatively young dog and as your surgeon correctly pointed out, clearly from a loving family and that really does count for a lot. These little guys are great fighters, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you that it is fungal in origin and not cancer. Regardless of the outcome though, I admire your decision to focus on keeping him as happy as possible and ensuring he has a good quality of life for as long as possible.

Please do continue to keep me posted and the very best of luck with Friday's news.

Take care,
Zara

[www.vetvoice.co.uk]
[www.zarathevet.com]

I am soo gutted to hear about the probable diagnosis. Did the surgeon mention anything about his nasopharynx being inflamed or thickened? Where exactly was the lesion?

I am led to believe nasal cancer is extremely rare in dogs so it would be heartbreaking to think that possibly both our 5 year old cairn terriers could have this terrible disease.

I am sitting in work and I am trying to hold back the tears. I pray that you get a positive diagnosis on Friday.

Tom

Hello Tom,

I know exactly what you are going through and can sympathise with your predicament. I will answer your questions in the hope that it helps you make a decision on the path to take.....

Our dog, Toby is 5 years old and such a healthy, loving, loyal little Cairn. This condition reared its ugly head approx April and has very slowly progressed throughout the summer (very similar symptoms to those you describe).As you can see we are now awaiting the results of a biopsy and fear the worst possible diagnosis of inoperable cancer.

May I suggest you consult your vet concerning a possible referral to a veterinary hospital that offers CT scans as these are conducted under sedation rather than GA. We live in Cheshire and after our own vet had conducted the x-ray, cultures and nasal washes and could do no more at his small surgery, he referred us to John Williams, Soft Tissue Surgeon at Oakwood Referrals, Willows Veterinary Hospital in Hartford which is only 10 minutes drive from us. It is an excellent facility and the consultation involved only a chat about Toby's condition. He did not examine Toby and suggested a CT scan rather than invasive endoscope which he explained is an option only after the scan results. If there is a lesion or mass then the surgeon knows exactly what area it is located and is not going in blind with the endoscope. John showed us a skull of a small dog and how tiny the capillaries are within it and I can now understand why finding a tumour isn't easy and why a CT scan is ideal.

The following day we took Toby in for the scan which takes only 15 minutes, but shortly after, John called and advised they spotted a lesion on the right hand side and were going to put Toby under GA for a endoscope and biopsy. One hour late Jon called back and he didn't sound too optimistic about the diagnosis - it could be cancer but we hold on to the hope that it may be fungal as that, at least, is treatable.

Do some research Tom and find a surgery that offers you the scanning facility as it will save you a lot of time, discomfort and anxiety for Oscar. If they hadn't found a lesion, Toby would have been in, under sedation scanned and out by lunch time but for us, it involved more so he remained with them for the rest of the day. Re- bleeding after biospy, we were lucky, Toby sneezed some bloody mucous after the biospy but no nose bleeds or excessive bleeding and healed very quickly. He was groggy for only 24 hours and then running after a ball in the garden the following day........typical of our boy. Oscar is young like Toby so he will bounce back much quicker than a dog of more senior years who may have other health issues. Toby is ok and teh congestion only occurs sporadically which then results in broken sleep for all of us. If Oscar is struggling with his breathing, you could try to encorage him to breath through his mouth by gently wedging a hard chew or tennis ball into his mouth - something that he is happy to hold. I have heard of a woman who would sleep with her dog and place her finger into her dogs mouth just to help her dog sleep peacefully.

If you feel like we did, we got to the point where we needed an answer as it felt very much like it was guess work up until the scan. Not the fault of our vet who did everything he could but luckily his practice is part of a much larger veterinary organisation so referral is standard practice.

Wishing you the very best with Oscar. I will post back when I know the results and prognosis for Toby's condition.

Any other questions, please ask.....I understand what you are going through.

Take Care,
Isabel

Hi Isobel

Thanks for getting back to me.

I'm keeping my fingers toes and everything else crossed that you get a positive diagnosis today.

You may already have had the outcome but this forum seems to take a wee while to approve the posts.

The problem we have is I don't think any vet in Northern Ireland has a CT scanner which is a sad state of affairs.

We have decided to give it till Tuesday and if there is no improvement then get the biopsy done.

The original rhinoscopy couldn't see any lesions or tumours just thickened and inflamed nasopharynx but I'm guessing that's not 100% guaranteed because of the size of their wee noses.

Oscar has been great during the day but very bad at night with his breathing and his nose is bone dry.

When you say the lesion was on the right side, was that right nostril or up round the back of his nasopharynx?

Anyways my thoughts and prayers are with you and I am hoping to hear good news from you very soon.

Take care
Tom and Oscar

Hi Tom and Zara (update)

Please don't upset yourself as Oscar may not have the same condition as Toby. The surgeon has not mentioned his nasopharynx. The internet is great but sometimes 'googling' can cause more anxiety, so please try to remain positive and remember that only 1-2% of all dog cancers are nasal cancers.

The news today wasn't good.....no trace of fungus, but the cancer biopsy is inconclusive due to insufficient tissue sample. The lesion is very deeply located and all the surgeon could reach was part of the inflammation which surrounds the mass, but the surgeon is 99.9% sure it is a nasal cancer and as he is an expert in his field, we realise he probably knows exactly what he is looking at. The biopsy was going to confirm the cancer diagnosis and establish the type and stage of cancer, but the only way for this to be done now would be to drill a hole in to Toby's skull and that wouldn't be action that the surgeon would recommend. When all is said and done, Toby has nasal cancer and what type makes no difference to the outcome. So we have to accept the diagnosis with a prognosis of an estimated 6-9 months dependent upon how agressive the cancer is and how long it has been there.....basically it is guess work.

The surgeon is sending a full report through to our vet and steriods will be prescribed to reduce inflammation.

Toby is eating well, walking, running, chasing a ball and stick which is his favourite pastime. We have to accept that we dont know how long it will be before we see a deterioration of his condition. The surgeon advised us to watch for bloody mucous/nose bleeds and lack of appetite and eventually respiratory difficulties (not just the sneezing and nasal congestion).

There is of course, a small chance that it could still be benign but as majority of dog nasal tumours are malignant (up to 90%) we wont hold on to any false hope. The surgeon was sympathetic but factual and direct and although very emotive and upset we have to come to terms with the news.

We are, as a family devastated by this news. We had the uneviable task of telling our daughter today which was difficult but it's 'out there' now and after tears and hugs we are being strong. We take comfort in the fact that Toby is presently oblivious and will not have to endure any further veterinary visits or tests. It is our aim to make his last months happy and comfortable with the family who love him so much. He will not suffer and we will know when it is time to assist him with his passage to be at peace............The tears are flowing now so I will close and wish you all the very best with Oscar and I pray that your little boy is going to be just fine.......

Thoughts are with you, Oscar and your family. Please keep me posted.

p.s. I would supply my email address for you to contact me direct, but as its a public site I'd rather not.

Kind Regards,
Isabel.

Dear Isabel (and Tom),

I'm so so sorry to hear the outcome of Toby's biopsy results. For what it's worth, I think you've made the right decision to focus on making the coming months as happy and comfortable for him as possible. The wonderful thing about Toby, Oscar and all animals for that matter, is that they don't know what may or may not lie ahead and live purely in and for the moment. We have a lot to learn from them.

I was at an oncology conference earlier this year and a leading US oncologist spoke about her many patients at varying degrees of cancer progression. The wonderful thing she noted about all of them, was that regardless of the physical condition they were in, they were always living in the present moment and still happy to see family, go for their walk/be outside to smell the air or simply be with their loved ones.

Quality of life can be one of the hardest conditions to assess, but I'm confident that you will know when the time is right to let Toby go. He'll also let you know in his own way.
I sincerely hope you have as much quality time as possible left together and enjoy every second of it.

Tom please do keep us updated on Oscar's progress and I would urge you to get a biopsy if at all possible. It may well not be cancer, but until you can get a diagnosis you'll be living with the fear that it might be.

Sincere warm wishes to both of you and please give both Toby and Oscar a huge from me.

The very best of luck,
Zara The Vet

[www.vetvoice.co.uk]
[www.zarathevet.com]

Hi Tom,

Just a thought, but when I was practicing in Australia and there were no nearby CT or MRI scanners at veterinary facilities - we used to try to obtain permission from the local hospital to allow us to use their equipment. It's a long shot, but it may be worth the enquiry at least...?

Good luck & stay positive,
Zara The Vet

[www.vetvoice.co.uk]
[www.zarathevet.com]

Hi Isobel and Zara,

Simply gutted at this news.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't now thinking along the same lines as Oscar. I suppose the main hope we have for Oscar is they didn't find any lesion or mass on the first rhinoscopy but over the weekend his sneezing and mucus production has gotten worse and he finds it very difficult to get off to sleep.

I am about to ring and arrange the biopsy. They will be taking the biopsy of his nasopharynx though as that is where the thickening and inflammation is.

When you said the lesion was on his right side was this of his nostril?

I am still praying for you that it somehow won't be cancer.

I'll let you know about Oscar when I find out more.

It's completely heartbreaking all this

Take care
Tom

Hi guys,

Just to let you know I have booked Oscar in for a biopsy on Wednesday morning. There is also a mobile MRI scanner that visits a vet hospital in Belfast once a month. If the biopsy doesn't find anything then we will arrange for the MRI scan. I am so nervous and worried. I lost my last wee dog at 9 to cancer and my mum lost her big golden retriever at 7 this year to cancer, I don't think I could cope losing another dog so young to cancer. He really is mine and my wife's best little friend

Tom

Zara,
Thank you so much for your words of support. It really does help knowing that there are people out there who can empathise with the situation we find ourselves in. Toby has been so much better since the biopsy. His sneezing has reduced significantly and he has been sleeping soundly without any snoring or breathing difficulties which has amazed us. We realise it's more than likely a temporary state, but it's so nice to have Toby 'back to his old self' if only for a short period of time. It's so strange how he seems so well compared to a couple of weeks ago. Maybe he's just happy to be left alone and free of medical intervention and in his happy home doing all his favourite things with his 'pack'.

Tom,
I truly hope all goes well for Oscar on Wednesday and the results give you peace of mind rather than any further stress. It is a difficult time and I feel your pain and anxiety but you will feel better knowing, no matter what the outcome. The months of uncertainty and guess work will be behind you. We are much more relaxed now that all the tests, pills and guess work are over. The most stressful time was the scan, biopsy and then waiting a week for the results. Toby is home and happy.....life is back to how he likes it to be.......long may that continue for our wee boy.

Fingers and toes crossed for a positive outcome for Oscar.

Kind Regards
Isabel

Hi Isobel,

Oscars biopsy put back till tomorrow. Will let you know when I hear the outcome.

Glad to hear Toby is feeling more like himself.

Take Care
Tom

Hi folks,

Oscars biopsy came back. They found inflammation cells that's it. The mucus they tested had no bacteria or fungus in it. Their working diagnosis at the minute is an allergy related problem. She's waiting on a second report before changing his medication.

This terrible "goose honk" cough of his has got worse. I fear he may have got a collapsed trachea as a result of the tube used during the biopsy

He's to go back to the vets at the weekend for a check up.

I'm relieved they found nothing sinister but concerned at the same time that we still really don't know what it is and also this goose honk cough

Tom

Hi Tom,

So pleased that Oscar's biopsy did not result in a cancer diagnosis and I am sure you are very relieved. Hope the vet manages to establish what is causing his symptoms.
I am sure you are pleased that you went ahead with the biopsy as your fear of a more sinister condition is now banished and although Oscar is still suffering from symptoms you can rest easy.

Very best of luck in your quest to establish the root of Oscar's allergy related symptoms - it must be so frustrating. Hope the 'goose honk' reduces - maybe he is still inflammed from the surgery and it will settle down? Hope so.....

Toby is still quite well. Sneezing mucous is minimal but the reverse sneezing is sporadic and can disturb his and our sleep, but apart from that he's as normal as any other lively five year old Cairn.

Hope all goes well this weekend with Oscar's check up.

Isabel

Dear Tom & Isabel,

I'm so glad to hear that both Oscar and Toby are doing so well!

Tom you must be hugely relieved by the biopsy results and fingers crossed the goose honk is only something transient. Your vet will obviously best be able to diagnose him when he clinically reviews him this weekend, but please do keep us posted on how he gets on.

Isabel I'm delighted that Toby has resumed normal 5 year old Cairn activity and hope it continues for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, I'm no longer moderating the forum here so don't have notice of when you make posts anymore, but I will continue to check-in when I can.

I wish you both the very best of luck and hope that Toby and Oscar continue to enrich your lives for many months and years to come.

Take care,
Zara

[www.vetvoice.co.uk]
[www.zarathevet.com]

Hi folks,

The final biopsy report came back today. The nasal sample was too small so couldnt be tested. The nasopharynx tissue was as the prelim report ie inflamed cells. Nothing sinister found thankfully. But the inflamation cells didnt point to a cause. Its definately not bacterial or fungal. Basically we arnt any further along in terms of a diagnosis or improvement in his symptoms. The cough seems to be improving though so hopefully that continues. Basically the way its been left is that hes having another course of steroids but this time double the dose. If theres no improvement next week then they are going to look to do a scan to look at the areas that they cant see with a rhinoscope. Despite the biopsy results cancer still hasnt been ruled out much to my dismay.

Isobel it would be useful if you could tell me where exactly they found the tumour in Toby? Right side of what? His actual nasal passage or right sinus?

Im glad to hear hes still.doing well. Give him a big hug from Oscar and Me.

Tom

Hi Isobel,

Oscar has been quite bad with reverse sneezing this weekend sadly I've been doing quite s bit of research today as quite frankly it seems at the minute my guess work seems to be about as good as the vets

I came across a few articles regarding non specific chronic rhinitis and how lesions are quite common with it.

I just can't get into my head how your vet can be 99% certain that poor Toby has cancer when the biopsy was inconclusive and he couldn't clearly see the lesion on endoscope. What made him so certain Toby has cancer? Was there other factors that pointed to that being the diagnosis? I'm really not trying to get your hopes up at all and at the end of the day I'm not a vet I'm just a logical person who needs to apply a logical understanding to things and it would drive me(like it is with Oscar) bonkers not having a definitive conclusive proven diagnosis.

I've pretty much made my mind up I'm going to get Oscar the ct or MRI scan as its unbearable not knowing what's wrong with him and hopefully that will provide more answers.

A question for one of the vets, this coud be completely left field but I know from reading Isobel's posts that Toby likes playing with a ball, so does Oscar. Oscar would head the ball with his nose a lot, is it possible that trauma from this could cause inflammation and damage to the nasal passages ad cause these symptoms?

It,s amazing how these little guys become such a part of our lives. The slurry pit accident over here yesterday was caused because a man jumped into the pit to try and save his wee dog who'd fell in then sadly his 2 sons also died trying to save the dad. Such a tragedy but it just shows what lengths humans will go to for the love of their dogs!

Anyways I hope Toby is continuing to do well.

Take care,

Tom

Hi Zara or any of the other vets,

I asked for a copy of Oscars biopsy report. I'd be interested on your take on the meaning.

Clinical Summary
Thickened and Inflamed roof of nasopharynx and back of the nose. No FB seen. Trachea a little red but fine, larynx also looks like oedematous and inflamed. Endoscope exam appeared normal.

Cytological Interpretation
(1) Mucus, increased, moderate
(2) inflammation, neutrophilic, moderate

Cytological description
Two submitted air-dried smears and two direct smears made from an unfixed nasal washing are evaluated. They contain a moderate mucus and neutrophils with a few macrophages. There are few to moderate columnar epithelial cells. A few squames and squamous epithelial cells are seen and are within expected limits for background oropharyngeal contamination. No eosinophils or infectious agents are seen.

Comment
The cytologic features are consistent with moderate mucopurulent inflammation. This is a non specific finding. The absence of infectious agents or eosinophils does not rule out the possibility of infection or allergy, parasitic or fungal disease. Considerations should include infectious and none infectious causes of airway inflammation. Correlation with other evaluations and response to various treatments may be needed to determine the most likely clinical diagnosis.

I'd be interested to hear another vets take on this?

Kind regards
Tom

Hello again Tom,

The CT scan showed a 4.2 centimetre lesion in the right nasal chamber, so they were fully aware of the size and location prior to endoscope and biopsy.

Biopsy was very difficult as located so far back hence the lack of conclusive cancer diagnosis. Having the type of cancer confirmed would have assisted in the prognosis.

I understand what you are saying about the uncertainty of the diagnosis, but John is a very reputable soft tissue surgeon and I am sure he would not state 99.9 % positive that it's cancer if he was at all unsure. He could see only a small part of the growth through the endoscope, but he must have seen the same thing many times in his career. Without the scan, John may not have seen it at all as it was a good 6cm back into the right chamber and the biopsy was extremely difficult and he warned us it was an incomplete sample after the op. Yes, there is a small chance the growth could be benign but it's still inoperable where it is located.

I truly hope you get definitive answers from a CT or MRI scan. Certainly if there is a growth it will be seen and measured and the vet will then have an accurate location. Endoscope without scan can be hit and miss and the our surgeon always recommends scan before endoscope as lesions can be hidden from camera view. Hoping for a good clear scan for your Oscar as that will at last give you peace of mind if there is no sign of abnormal growth. Poor wee boy - such a pain going through all these tests. We are relieved that the diagnostic tests are over and life has resumed a degree of normality and acceptance. 6-9 months and anything more will be a huge bonus......who knows, I may still be saying next year 'he's still here'.....that's all we can do now. The surgeon cant drill through his skull for a better biopsy sample, so we have had to accept the diagnosis but hold on to a bit of hope that Toby may be in the small percentage of dogs who have benign nasal chamber growth.

Just popping into vet surgery to collect steroids for Toby. Don't need them yet as he is ok at present but that may change so best to have the medication at hand.

Keep me posted. Willing Oscar better and give him a hug from us here. Bless him. So much stress for you too.

Kind Regards, as ever
Isabel

Typed this on my iphone so hoping its not full of typos!

Hi Isobel,

Oscar is going for a CT scan this week in Dublin to try and get to the bottom of this once and for all. He seems a bit better but still congested. Reverse sneezing is down to once a day normally at night when hes just gone off to sleep and the sneezing is sporadic but mainly when hes walking and again its not every time hes walking. He's still not showed enough progress though to rule out anything nasty like cancer because he is still bad when trying to sleep and is still breathing fast although when he does get off to sleep the breathing comes down more towards normal levels so hence the CT scan.

I was telling my vet about poor toby and she was absolutely shocked by the size of the lesion, she was telling me 4.2cm in a cairns nose is absolutely huge like really huge. Poor little critter

How has Toby been doing lately?

Tom

Hi Tom,

Hope the CT scan gives you some definitive answers but most of all I hope it's good news.

Toby is ok but we started the steroids this week as his congestion and sneezing flared and we had a few disturbed nights. Apart from that he's just our boy although he is sleeping more and his energy levels have diminished and his walks are shorter. We haven't experienced any nose bleeds (yet) and his weight seems consistent.

Please keep me posted on Oscar's condition. I truly hope you get a firm diagnosis and, in turn, a course of successful treatment.

All the very best,
Isabel

Just to let you know they have found a mass in Oscars nasal cavity far back in his nose similar to Toby.

They are keeping him in overnight and are going to do rigid rhinoscope and biopsy tomorrow.

To say I'm heartbroken is an understatement.

Tom

Hi Isobel,

Oscar was on a double dose of the steroids for a couple of weeks and if anything they made the reverse sneezing worse. Keep an eye on it. If you are not seeing any improvement ask your vet to prescribe doxycycline as that certainly had a positive effect on Oscar.

I feel like a complete scumbag this morning for leaving my poor we dog in the vets overnight but they didn't really give us much choice. We left him in at 8.30am yesterday morning expecting they would do the scan and the scope that day and we would have him home last night. They didn't do the scan till 5.30pm last night for goodness sake. I am not very happy about my dog being under anesthesia 2 days in a row.
We took the decision not to go to dublin by the way as we felt the travelling would be too much for him. The MRI scanner was on it's monthly visit to Belfast yesterday so we waited for that.
I can't get over the heartbreaking similarities between Oscar and Toby in all of this. Nasal tumors are rare to begin with but for 2, 5 year old male cairns in the UK both to be struck down with them at the same time must be extreme odds
I was very angry last night and very upset but having reflected on it I guess the only thing we can do is make whatever time he has left as happy and comfortable for him as it can be. Of course there is still the possibility its benign, inflammatory or fungal but I certainly wasn't getting that vibe from the vet. I am hoping and praying though. This forum is a bit slow at times to approve posts so if you want to contact me directly my email is tomandjuana@hotmail.co.uk .

Warmest regards,
Tom

Hi Isobel,

So we went to pick Oscar up from the vets last night and got a bit of a great suprise. They don't think he has cancer! I had worked myself up into such a state on Tuesday night after speaking to the vet and had prepared myself for the worst last night.

We got there and the vet started talking about the rigid scope she had done and told us that the tissues were in a bad state and there was a lot of peeling and inflammation and turbinate destruction, she said the size of their scope had allowed them to get right to the very back of his nose. She said they got very good tissue samples for biopsy. I then said, "what about the mass"? she replied, "what mass"? Apparently the vet from the previous night had not looked at the scans and had only spoken briefly to the radiologist who was in on the MRI who apparently is not qualified to decipher MRI scans which is why they are sent of to England for a full report.

Basically they found no evidence of neoplasia(tumor) but a lot of inflammation and tissue destruction which is on both sides of the nasal chamber. One side is slightly worse than the other but they looked fairly symetrical which again is a positive sign.

She can't be certain it isn't cancer but her exact words where "she would be extremely suprised if it was". She thinks it is a chronic condition called lymphoplasmacystic rhinitis, which whilst painful, chronic and difficult to treat is not cancer and not life threatening.

We won't know for a week the results of the biopsy and MRI report but this has obviously given us significantly more hope than we had previously.

I will let you know when we get the results. I posted my email address in the previous post please feel free to email me directly.

Kindest regards to you, Toby and the rest of your family,

Tom

Hi Tom,

I have emailed you.......keeping fingers and toes crossed for a positive result from scan and biopsy.

Toby is doing well and getting oodles of love and attention.

Isabel

I just realised that although I have been conversing with Isabel via email I never posted on here the outcome of all Oscar's tests.

The good news is Oscar does not have nasal cancer. He has an incredibly frustrating condition called idiopathic chronic rhintis. Horrible and nasty yes, life threatening no.

We are just in the midst of different combinations of therapy to see which one will help best.