Chronic Nasal Swelling in a Dog: Diagnosing Biscuit’s Swollen Nose
What could be behind your dog’s swollen nose? In case of acute swelling, you might suspect insect stings or bites, a snake bite, perhaps an infection. But what if the swelling is chronic?
With cute swelling of your dog’s nose, you need to be careful because the situation could progress and lead to difficulty breathing. When in doubt, see a veterinarian. At the very least, keep a close eye on your dog.
Infections are the most common cause, usually following an injury to the nose. However, a reaction to insect stings or bites is a close second, depending on geographical location and the season.
Important note: acetaminophen (Tylenol) toxicity can also lead to facial swelling, along with other serious signs such as changes in gum color, labored breathing, vomiting, jaundice, and even coma.
Further reading: 4 Causes of Dog Snout Swelling

Biscuit’s story
Biscuit was a 3-year-old Border Collie— a happy, active, energetic boy. He was perfectly healthy except for a mysterious swelling of his nose. The first time Biscuit’s noBiscuit’sd, he was four months old. It didn’t seem to bother him, though.
However, as time went by, the swelling became naughty, rupturing and spewing out a nasty discharge. When this happened, Biscuit’s veterinariBiscuit’sibed antibiotics. While that helped, the problem sometime later the problem returned. In the meantime, the veterinarian was unable to discover an underlying cause. Biscuit ended up with a referral to a university hospital.
At the university hospital
As the specialist examined Biscuit, he confirmed the fluctuating swelling and hair loss, and scarring at its location. As he looked closely, he discovered a draining tract. When the veterinarian gently squeezed the swelling, it discharged pus. Further, however gentle the squeeze was, it was uncomfortable for Biscuit.
Other than that, nothing seemed wrong with him.
Biscuit’s diagnosis
Given the results of Biscuit’s examination, his medical history, the location of the swelling and the drain, the specialist suspected a dermoid sinus cyst.
Dermoid sinus is a rare congenital condition. When the cyst becomes infected, it increases the swelling and discharge.
As the next step, the veterinarian ran blood work and Biscuit underwent a CT scan. The results were consistent with the diagnosis.
Biscuit’s treatment
Medical treatment with antibiotics can help reduce swelling but doesn’t solve the problem. Instead, repeated treatments in this situation can lead to resistant bacterial infection.
Biscuit needed surgery to repair the problem. During the procedure, the surgeon removes the entire tract and the abnormal tissue. Biscuit recovered well and could go home the next day. Histopathology of the removed tissue confirmed the diagnosis.
In closing
Sometimes, when you hear hooves, it can be zebras. However, if your dog has an ongoing issue that doesn’t go away with basic treatment, you need to dig deeper into the root cause.
Source story:
Nasal Swelling in a Border Collie
Related articles:
Facial Swelling in Dogs: Why Is My Dog’s Face Swollen?
Further reading:
4 Causes of Dog Snout Swelling
Dermoid Sinus in Dogs