Nose bleeds in cats are bloody. Causes of nosebleeds in cats

A cat's nose bleeds due to damage to blood vessels in the mucous membrane. This may be due to injury, infection, or a reaction to a disease. Unfortunately, the animal does not think to throw back its head so that the process comes to naught. Therefore, when this is observed, owners must take independent measures.

The exact source can only be determined by a specialist.

If blood appears due to injury, there is a risk of inflammation. Often it affects the entire respiratory system and gives rise to new diseases. When bleeding is observed from both nostrils, this is a clear sign of clotting problems.

A young pet - especially a kitten - is at serious risk under these circumstances. If you do not contact a veterinarian in time, the situation can get much worse. In particularly advanced cases, death is possible.

The relationship between bleeding and periodontal disease

It is common to experience bleeding due to dental disease. This is explained by the fact that the upper jaw bone of a cat is quite thin, and the roots of the fangs are located at great depths. Therefore, if inflammatory processes are present in them, their products can enter the nasopharynx. In this case, the disease also affects the blood vessels. This causes bleeding.

Mr. Cat warns: associated symptoms

Signs indicating that the animal urgently needs to be taken to the veterinarian:

  • accompanied by bleeding.
  • Periodontal disease or gumboil occurs.
  • Appears.
  • There are breathing problems.

You should also pay attention to where exactly the blood is coming from. In some cases, it may not be the nostrils, but a wound caused by a broken tooth. Such damage occurs in the event of severe injuries such as falls or being run over by a car.

The fact that the problem is long-standing and advanced is also indicated by the ingestion of blood by the animal.

Diagnosis and first aid

If your pet is bleeding, you need to remain calm and not irritate the animal, so as not to provoke a rise in blood pressure.

A cold compress applied to the nose can stop the bleeding at first, but in any case, do not hesitate to visit the veterinarian.

Treatment and prevention

Frequent bleeding is treated with compresses and medications that increase blood clotting. It is also possible to use drugs aimed at combating the cause of the disease.

In order not to expose the animal to the risk of bleeding, you need to carefully monitor its condition, protect it from injury and do it in a timely manner.

With proper care, the possibility of disease is significantly reduced.

If the cat is injured and bleeding comes from the nose, after first aid you should immediately go to the veterinary clinic. Timely treatment and observation by a specialist will help save the furry patient from new injuries and complications.

Nosebleeds in cats are a very unpleasant, but unfortunately quite common problem. If you find signs of vascular tissue rupture in your pet, you should immediately contact your veterinarian. Otherwise, irreparable changes may occur in the pet’s body.

Causes of bleeding

In some cats, periodic bleeding is normal, but in the vast majority of cases, the appearance of blood from the nose is a pathology.

To find out the true cause of bleeding, as well as prescribe an adequate course of treatment, a number of diagnostic measures are taken.

The veterinarian prescribes:

  • general blood and urine analysis;
  • blood clotting test;
  • test for the presence of autoimmune pathologies;
  • biochemical analysis;
  • X-ray and radiography of the nose and jaws;
  • endoscopic examination;
  • serological tests.

It is quite possible that the first tests will provide a complete picture of the cause of the bleeding. Therefore, a comprehensive examination of the animal is carried out only in particularly difficult cases.

Treatment

As an emergency, the cat should be calmed and an ice pack or any other cold object placed on its nose. After this, you should immediately call a specialist. After performing the above tests, the cause of the bleeding is determined. Next, a course of treatment is prescribed aimed at eliminating the pathology causing dysfunction of the body. As a rule, we are talking about taking medications: tablets, mixtures, compresses. In exceptional cases (for example, in the presence of a tumor), surgery is used.

We are ready to help

Our clinic specialists treat nosebleeds and other diseases in your pets. If your cat is unwell, please contact us. We apply the latest technologies, use high-quality equipment, and guarantee high professionalism and attentive attitude towards four-legged patients. You can call our specialist at home or come to the clinic.

A person knows how unpleasant nosebleeds are, but they can still take some steps right away. But what should you do if your cat’s nose bleeds? You can’t explain to her that she needs to keep her head elevated for a while, and you can’t apply ice to the back of her head. And yet, where does such an unpleasant symptom come from? It is not a fact that the animal was simply injured; it may also indicate serious disorders in its body.

Causes of nosebleeds

The animal's nose has a mucous membrane that contains blood vessels and nerve endings. Most often, bleeding is caused by damage to blood vessels as a result of mechanical trauma or inflammation in the nasal cavity.

There are many causes of a cat's nosebleed.

But besides this, there may be other reasons:

  • Nose injury. Injury with a sharp object (thorny plant, needle), fight with cats or dogs. Bleeding can also occur after a fall, bruise, fracture, or as a result of an accident.
  • Foreign object. Nosebleeds can be caused by grain, beads, or a piece of branch getting into the nasal passage.
  • Neoplasm in the nasal cavity. Tumors in the nose in cats occur mainly in adulthood. It can be recognized by the asymmetry and deformation of the nose. In addition, swelling of the affected side, different size of the eyeballs, tearing, etc. may be observed.
  • Dental infection. Bleeding is often caused by the presence of infectious diseases of the teeth, since with an abscess, the root of the diseased tooth touches the nasal sinus. The inflammatory process causes dryness and bleeding of the nasal cavity.
  • High blood pressure. Hypertension leads to micro-ruptures in the capillaries of the mucous membrane, which in turn provoke nosebleeds.
  • Poor blood clotting. Platelets are responsible for the formation of blood clots and stopping bleeding. If there are not enough of them, the blood becomes thin, which causes nosebleeds.

There are many diseases associated with poor clotting. With such pathologies, other symptoms are observed, such as red spots located on the gums or ears, fatigue, drowsiness, and pale gums.

A cat's nose may bleed due to injury or an infectious disease.

Severe nosebleeds can be caused by poisoning with certain substances, such as warfarin, or substances that cause hemolysis.

Here are other causes of nosebleeds:

There is no cause for concern if the nosebleed is caused by a minor injury and stops quickly. But if bleeding is frequent and repeated again and again, and other symptoms are present, a mandatory consultation with a doctor is necessary.

If there is severe bleeding, the cat should be taken to the veterinarian.

What are the types of bleeding in cats: their symptoms

Nosebleeds in cats are divided into two types: acute or chronic. If the first occurs abruptly and without any symptoms, then in the second case it is systematic, appearing from time to time.

In addition, bleeding can be unilateral or bilateral. For correct diagnosis, it is important to know whether the blood is coming from one nostril or from both. Generally, unilateral bleeding means the presence of a foreign object in the nose, a tumor, or injury. Bilateral signals the presence of a disease of infectious origin.

In some cases, urgent assistance from a specialist is necessary.

Signs and symptoms accompanying bleeding in serious diseases:

  • when sneezing, blood sprays from the nose as if from a spray bottle;
  • swelling in the form of gumboil or periodontal disease is observed;
  • in severe situations, not all the blood comes out, but the main part is swallowed, in which case the feces may be black in color, and also viscous;
  • there is a metallic smell coming from the mouth:
  • difficult and noisy breathing;
  • loss of appetite or decreased appetite.

First aid for nosebleeds

If you notice a nosebleed in an animal, you should not panic; first of all, you need to calm down and examine your pet to understand how serious it is. The animal should not be nervous so that the pressure does not increase, which can aggravate the situation.

If your nose bleeds, apply ice to it.

If the bleeding is quite severe, you need to apply ice to your nose, then rinse it and pat dry with paper towels. If these manipulations do not help and the bleeding does not stop, or additional symptoms appear, you need to immediately consult a doctor.

Diagnosis of nosebleeds

First of all, the pet owner should tell the doctor:

  • whether the animal is currently taking any medications;
  • is there rat poison in the apartment, and whether the animal could have consumed a poisoned mouse or rat;
  • whether the cat walked on the street without its owner and whether it could have contact with other cats;
  • did the animal fall or hit any sharp corners;
  • does the cat sneeze and scratch its nose with its paws?
  • bleeding is one-sided or two-sided;
  • are there any problems with the teeth, and is there blood in the oral cavity?
  • whether he has rapid breathing;
  • is there any asymmetry of the muzzle or its deformation;
  • isn't it?

To make an accurate diagnosis, the veterinarian will conduct a comprehensive examination of the pet, diagnosis will be carried out by:

  • general clinical blood test;
  • blood clotting test;
  • urine analysis;
  • biopsy, cytology;
  • X-ray of the nose;
  • general examination of the nasal and oral cavity, as well as the throat;
  • conducting tests for the presence of diseases caused by fungi;
  • conducting tests for the presence of infectious diseases transmitted by ticks;
  • computed tomography;
  • pressure measurements.

The veterinarian will conduct several tests to find out why your nose is bleeding.

Depending on the complexity of the symptoms present, the doctor will determine which diagnostic method the animal will need. After which he will prescribe appropriate treatment that will help stop the bleeding and remove the causes that provoked it.

Cat treatment and care

Treatment begins with stopping bleeding by any means. In addition, the cat is given sedatives as it may become scared and cause more damage to the nose, which will cause more bleeding. The veterinarian will tell you how to stop the bleeding and remove its original cause during an in-person examination.

What is the main help for an animal:

  • first you need to apply an ice compress;
  • To narrow the peripheral vessels and stop nosebleeds, you can use adrenaline;
  • if the cat does not even allow himself to be examined, the doctor may resort to anesthesia;
  • in severe cases, the animal may require surgery under general anesthesia.

If bleeding occurs due to an infectious disease, you may need to take antibiotics or other antimicrobial agents. When blood flows due to diseases in the oral cavity or as a result of tumors in the nose, surgical intervention may be required. Although in some cases you can only get by with chemotherapy.

The root cause of nosebleeds should be treated by a veterinarian.

Regarding preventive measures, we can say that it is enough to just monitor timely vaccinations and add a sufficient amount of vitamins to the diet. In addition, once every three months it is necessary to take your pet to the doctor for preventive purposes so that he can promptly identify a pathology that threatens the animal’s life.

Cats, like people, can experience nosebleeds from time to time. In more than half of cases, a sudden illness resolves on its own. However, what should you do if your cat’s nose is bleeding without stopping for quite a long time?

Types of bleeding

There are two types of bleeding - unilateral and bilateral. This is an important point to pay attention to when diagnosing the disease.

Unilateral

In case of unilateral bleeding (from one nostril), the animal must be examined by a veterinarian. The most common causes of this are foreign bodies in the nose, trauma and tumors.

Bilateral

Bilateral bleeding (from both nostrils) may indicate an infectious disease.

What to do if your cat has a nosebleed

Causes of bleeding

The animal's nasal cavity contains blood vessels and nerves. Most often, the reason why a cat's nose is bleeding is injuries to small vessels due to mechanical damage or inflammation of the mucous membrane. However, the reasons may be more serious.

Injuries

This refers to damage due to a piercing blow, for example, after contact with a plant that has a hard spine, a fight with other animals, or an accident - a blow, a fall, a car accident, etc.

Foreign bodies

Sometimes small objects get into the animal’s nasal cavity - grains, pieces of stems or branches, etc., which injure its outer shell.

Periodontal diseases

Another common cause of bleeding is inflammation of the oral cavity, for example, abscesses (purulent inflammation of tissue) of the roots of the teeth. Diseases are a serious obstacle to the normal functioning of the nasal mucosa, which in turn can lead to dryness and bleeding.

Tumor

Tumors in the nasal cavity most often appear in older animals. The presence of this problem can be determined by the shape of the cat's face. As a rule, neoplasms make it less symmetrical, and sometimes even deform it.

Note! Swelling, changes in the integrity and color of the skin of the nose, lacrimation and changes in the size of one of the eyeballs may occur.

What could be the reasons

Infections

The cause of nasal discharge, including bleeding, can be bacterial, viral respiratory diseases, or rhinitis. If your cat is bleeding from the eyes and nose, it is necessary to undergo an examination at a veterinary clinic.

Impaired blood supply

Bleeding can also be caused by a blood clotting disorder, a function for which platelets are responsible. If their deficiency occurs, the blood acquires a thinner consistency, which leads to bleeding.

Signs of a serious illness

Experts identify quite a few diseases that provoke poor blood clotting. In case of illness, the animal may also experience other symptoms - for example, red spots on the ears and gums, pale gums. Also, the cat may not want to get out of bed in the morning and will lie all day due to loss of strength and lethargy.

Reduced blood clotting in cats can occur due to diseases such as viral leukemia and viral immunodeficiency. It can be caused by side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs. Another common reason is as a result of pathologies of the systems responsible for blood clotting, for example, disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome, liver failure, hemophilia.

Note! Severe purulent discharge with blood from the eyes or nose may also indicate the presence of worms.

Blood when sneezing

Bleeding when sneezing can be caused by inflammation or irritation of the nasal mucosa. As a result of prolonged and severe sneezing, heavy bleeding may occur, as well as a slowdown in natural blood clotting.

Blood when sneezing

If your pet does not stop sneezing blood for a long time (more than 1-2 days), you should urgently contact a veterinarian. At home, it is very difficult to determine the cause of the disease, much less help the animal. First aid can be effective depending on the situation, but if the cause of the bleeding is unclear, then doing it on your own can even harm the cat.

Note! If cuts and scratches are noticed in the nose, they will need to be treated. For this, it is best to use an antiseptic without a strong odor, a spray for cats, or a special wound-healing ointment.

Flux or periodontal disease

If you have symptoms of periodontal disease or gumboil in case of bleeding in the nasal cavity, you should contact your veterinarian. The pet's nasal or oral cavity may become swollen, which will become a serious obstacle to the animal's normal functioning.

Unpleasant smell

Bloody nasal discharge in animals may be accompanied by an unpleasant odor. The reasons may be different, for example, an unpleasant odor may occur as a result of foreign bodies entering the nose. If a cat sneezes with blood, the nasal discharge is green and has an unpleasant odor, then most likely the pet has picked up some kind of virus. These same symptoms appear in leukemia, so they should not be ignored.

Important! Diagnosis and treatment should be carried out exclusively by a specialist - inadequate assistance will only do harm.

Labored breathing

Difficulty breathing accompanied by bleeding may indicate swelling in the nasal cavity. These can be either malignant neoplasms or swelling as a result of inflammation or an allergic reaction. The cause may also be a foreign body that has entered the nasal cavity.

The kitten has lost its appetite and is having difficulty breathing

Loss of appetite

Loss of appetite, general weakness and lethargy are most often observed in infectious diseases. Sometimes an animal may refuse to eat due to pain in the mouth and nose while chewing. In this case, the pet should be checked for tumors in both cavities.

Diagnosis and treatment

Only a veterinarian can determine the cause of bleeding in a cat, based on the results of a comprehensive examination of the animal.

When your nose bleeds

The “severity” of therapy depends directly on the underlying underlying cause. In case of an infectious disease (cold), the animal will have to undergo a course of treatment with antibiotics and antimicrobials. If the cause of bleeding is a severe oral disease or a tumor in the nasal cavity, then surgery will most likely be required.

If the diagnosis does not reveal any serious pathologies, then the approach to therapy is greatly simplified. In this case, you should apply cold to the pet's nose, and also use vasoconstrictor medications that can help stop the bleeding.

How to properly treat a cat

When he sneezes blood

Before contacting a doctor, the owner should carefully monitor the cat's behavior. If sneezing is not frequent, mucus is released from the nose along with blood, the animal’s breathing is difficult, and swelling around the eyes begins to appear, then the kitten is probably suffering from allergies. In this situation, the only way out is to stop the pet's contact with allergens.

In case of increased body temperature, apathy and weakness, cough accompanied by nasal discharge, the animal should be checked for the presence of an infectious disease. As already mentioned, antibiotics are prescribed to animals for infections.

Important! If tumors are detected, a biopsy is performed and the feasibility of surgery is assessed.

If bleeding is caused by complex injuries and deep penetration of a foreign object into the body, then most often they resort to surgical methods.

Prevention is better than any cure. You should not bring the animal to a painful state; the problem should be stopped in the bud. Your pet should be taken to the veterinarian at least once a quarter for preventative purposes. A professional doctor will be able to promptly detect signs of a dangerous pathology that threatens the cat’s health.

Based on materials from www.petcaregt.com

Nosebleeds in cats can be caused by trauma (for example, from a blow or an unfortunate fall), as well as an infectious disease. Other causes may include tumors, severe sneezing, bleeding disorders, or foreign bodies getting into the nose. A cat's nose is richly supplied with blood, so bleeding can begin at the slightest injury.

It should be borne in mind that many diseases have now been identified that lead to poor blood clotting. With such diseases, other signs are usually observed, such as the appearance of red spots on the gums and ears, pale gums, weakness, depression and loss of energy. Poisoning with certain substances, such as Warfarin, can also cause bleeding, including severe nosebleeds.

Home remedies for nosebleeds in cats.

A cat's nose consists of a bony and soft part (shell). The part of the nose that bleeds most often is the soft part. Cats breathe through their nose, so they naturally resist any attempt to clear it, especially when it blocks their air passages. Squeezing the nostril for a few minutes or applying a cold compress or ice can help stop bleeding. If nosebleeds recur periodically or become frequent, you should contact your veterinarian for advice.

Diagnosis of the causes of nosebleeds in cats.

  • For successful treatment, blood tests are taken and blood clotting tests and tests for autoimmune diseases may be required. Tests such as endoscopy, cytology, biopsy, and x-ray of the cat's nose may be needed to determine the cause of nosebleeds.
  • If tests do not find a cause, your doctor may need to take a complete medical history and perform a detailed examination of your cat. Sometimes, a detailed diagnosis may even require anesthesia of the cat's oral and nasal tract. The mouth, back of the throat, and nasal cavities just below the nostrils also require careful examination.
  • In case of frequent nosebleeds, a general blood test is performed. A complete blood count is done to check for anemia, low platelet count, infection, or inflammation.
  • To monitor the functions of vital organs and general condition, a complete biochemical analysis is performed.
  • A urine test is performed to test kidney function, detect infections and proteinuria.
  • Serological tests can detect fungal diseases such as histoplasmosis and blastomycosis, as well as rickettsial infections carried by ticks. The tests also screen for a number of other diseases, such as ehrlichiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
  • A radiography of the nose and jaws and an x-ray of the nose are performed.

Cat care.

Try to protect your cat from stress. If your cat becomes overly anxious, sedatives may be necessary. To directly stop bleeding, apply a cold compress to your cat's nose with gentle force. If your cat's bleeding does not stop, be sure to contact your veterinarian.