Dog: Max

This is Max and his drippy nose. 

Back around November of 2014 his nose started dripping on the right side. This is only an estimate based on the pictures I could find. This one was taken in December 2014 and I know it had been going on for a little while before I took this.

Prior and during this time he did have regular check ups at the vet and all other vitals were normal. I love this guy and he is not suffering.

The snot would come and go and so there were many thoughts of its cause. Sinus infection? Foxtail? Either way, the fact that it came and went gave me no cause for alarm since he acted completely normal. By the next summer (2015) he appeared to wince his right eye (especially after I had been gone all day and he doesn't drink until I get home) and so I went for the sinus infection theory. I kept him hydrated since that seemed to coincide with the appearance of a headache and I gave him saline nose shots a few times a week and the occasional Aspirin (appropriate type and dosage for his size). He sneezed it out good and it seemed to bring him some relief. (The AVC Dr. said this is good so I will continue this summer 2016. Too cold right now.)

In August 2015 he had his dental cleaning and they found and removed a broken molar on the right side and so we hoped that this was the cause of the nose issue and the appearance of a headache. It was a very big tooth and was one of the possible causes listed on the internet so I continued the saline flushes and hoped it would go away. It didn't. 

The snot: Clear, yellow, green, ribboned (pull and pull and pull and pull), mucky and gooey. All of the above but mostly the continuous ribbon.

He was starting snore a lot more and was restless at night and so a few weeks ago I decided to take him in for a Rhinoscopy. We went to Advance Veterinary Care in Salt Lake City on 3300 South. They drained his sinuses under anesthesia (got about 1L, the most the Dr. had ever seen) and also found that he had a mass on the roof of his mouth so they did a biopsy. Two weeks later we finally got the results. He has Multilobular Osteochondrosarcoma. This is a type of bone cancer and is very slow growing. Based on it's location I am not putting him through any treatment other than Rimadyl. Also, finding out this diagnosis any sooner would not have changed anything at all. I just would have known and worried sooner. The timing has been appropriate.

Mass location: Above the roof of his mouth but under his nasal passage clearly starting on his right side. It is pressing on his nasal passage and at the time of the detection they said he has no air through that right nostril. It still drips occasionally but much less since the appointment and the antibiotics and the drain of the sinuses? One week after the appointment the left nostril has started dripping occasionally. 

Rimadyl: This drug has many side effects listed and so I wanted to share my experiences for anyone who may read this lengthy post. He appears to be doing very well on this drug. The one thing that I have noticed that may help someone else is that at night if he can't sleep it is simply because he needs to go to the bathroom so I take him out. No matter what time. Once he goes he sleeps through the night. He simply has to go potty. Luckily my boys go potty when I tell them even if they pretend that they're done I just tell them to go and they do. Before I figured this out it was several times so I didn't sleep much.

I never leave him alone for more than a few hours since I know that he doesn't like to drink while I'm gone. He's always done this. He drinks a lot once I get home as if he didn't want to have to pee while I was out. Smart boy. I want him to stay hydrated. **He has not yet been tested for Kidney/Liver side effect but will be on Feb 22, 2016.

He also has what I call his minor narcolepsy. He will be playing and then puts his head down and he's snoring and asleep and then he's playing again. **Not suffering just easily worn out.

If you met Max today you would have no idea that he has Cancer or is on Rimadyl. He appears completely normal other than a snotty nose sometimes. He is a happy, silly, fun, energetic, lazy, normal looking 11 year old lab. Oh wait, he does snort a lot and so he kind of sounds like a pig.

The initial news of the mass was very shocking but everything is fine now. We're dealing with it and treasuring the time we have together. We have no idea how long that is but for now, it appears to not be any time soon.