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Nasal mites

1K views 10 replies 5 participants last post by  cvamoca 
#1 ·
Has anyone had a dog that experienced nasal mites? Floki was sick when we started fostering him, and we had the vet do a distemper test because of eye and nose discharge, and lack of energy. It came back negative for distemper, and the vet said it was just a viral thing that would work itself out in 2-3 weeks. Basically a common cold in human terms.

Well, all the dogs got the “common cold.” We got really worried when Lyka and Floki started showing spurts of respiratory distress. We took them both in that same day, and the vet said it was just reverse sneezing, nothing to worry about. Now all 4 dogs are doing it. So I looked it up (bad choice) and the info I found was that this was common in dogs who have nasal mites, and they are contagious. I’ve never even heard of nasal mites before. Ear mites, yes, but not nasal mites.

The reason I think this may possibly be the problem is that every other symptoms they were experiencing have gone away, but all 4 are still reverse sneezing. Lyka has never done it prior to this, and it said if a dog has never experienced reverse sneezing prior to the introduction of a new dog, it’s likely to be a nasal mite issue.

Any ideas? The testing for it is costly, and nasal flushing seems to be the only treatment option. I don’t want to call and make an appt for just the reversed sneezing unless it correlates with something. Floki has his follow up on Wednesday, so we can have it checked then, I just don’t know if I should make a same day appt to have it checked today.
 
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#2 ·
Well I went ahead and called the vet office. They said to just keep my regular appt with Floki, but bring all the dogs in so if that is the issue, they can treat all 4 at once.

Not gonna lie, kinda scared. DH can’t handle all 4 dogs on his own, and can’t control Lyka, so I’m going to have to assist on this one. Crossing my fingers for an injury free vet visit!
 
#3 ·
Never heard of nasal mites in dogs, but I keep Lady Gouldian Finches which are very susceptible to a respiratory mite. For years I feared keeping them, but they are sweet and super easy to keep long as you keep an eye out for mites. Ivermectin works to clear them up. In my household everything here gets Ivermectin, because I have a horse, geese, chickens house birds and dogs who eat poop because they are on a farm where there's a cornucopia of poop to eat.

Nasal mites in dogs are a different thing, different genus, but a mite is a mite. 'Course...many people can't or won't use ivermectin because of their breed of dog, but if your dogs are treated for Heartworm, they've already had a certain amount of Ivermectin in the past.

No idea, just good luck, you have certainly had enough kicks in the teeth lately.
 
#4 ·
My grandmother raised exotic birds, and contracted histoplasmosis, which eventually led to lung disease. It’s one of the main reasons I didn’t take over her aviaries after she passed.

I’d never heard of nasal mites either, it was just when I looked up reverse sneezing that I found the nasal mite articles. Honestly, I thought the vet was trying to pull the wool over my eyes with the whole reverse sneezing thing, never heard of that either! At least it’s an easy fix though. And yes, all 4 dogs are on a HW preventative, so they have all been exposed to med I can’t spell ?
 
#6 ·
Sitting at the vets office. Lyka is doing great, no barking or lunging, just laying at my feet. Crios is just all over the place looking for treats. I’ve had to tell DH twice to control him. Sigh. Seiran is sitting with the butt wiggles, she loves the vet. Floki is sitting down looking angry at the whole world. Hopefully we get answers today, Lyka woke me up 3 times last night with her super loud “reverse sneezing.”

I got some pretty funny looks walking in with a walker, holding the leashes of two GSD’s. Most of them were “are you crazy” looks. lol. Then DH comes in behind me with Crios and Floki, and eyes for wider. I upgraded and got one of the fancy walkers you can turn around and sit on. That’s been immensely helpful. Now if we can just get the dogs to stop reverse sneezing all over the place, that would be great!

We walk through a glass hallway to get to the sick room, so no other dogs were subjected to whatever yuck our guys have.
 
#9 ·
You need a super woman shirt! Glad you got the walker with the seat. Those also seem to be more stable. Looks like the Dog Guardian Angel was helping you out. I wonder if the dogs will learn that being next to the walker is an honor and behave accordingly.
 
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#7 ·
Good luck! Hope they stop sneezing soon. Be cautious and ask for help if you need it, don't let yourself get yanked around too much on the leashes, but I know you know what you can handle. I'm out and about all the time with strollers, GSDs, and two little kiddos. People always like to remind me I have my hands full.
 
#8 · (Edited)
For ear mites, simply keeping them on monthly Advantage Multi for HW prevention seems to eliminate mites too. I wonder if it would work with nasal mites?


ETA: I just looked it up, and it looks like it does work, if kept on it at least two months:
http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/cheyletiella-mites-population-move?id=&sk=&date=&pageID=2


Since most dogs need to be on something for HW and flea management anyway, it's likely a pretty inexpensive solution (I pay under $80 per 6-month supply).
 
#10 ·
No nasal mites! The vet drew some blood from each of them to run some additional testing, but for now, it’s still a wait and see. Since reverse sneezing isn’t harmful to dogs, she is wary about medicating them for an unknown underlying cause. So now we wait for the blood work results to come back, and I’ll just have to put in some ear plugs to sleep tonight! lol

Lyka has been a real lifesaver. I have her in a harness with the hard handle at the back, and when I need to do something without the walker, she’s right there supporting me while I hold the handle of the harness. She seems to know I’m not steady, and comes to help if I don’t have the walker out. And she actually stays out from underfoot! She was always the dog that would randomly do a dead stop in front of you for no apparent reason, and she’s completely stopped doing it since I got home. I’m seriously blessed with some pretty amazing animals. Even if the males in the house are making me want to rehome myself most of the time ?
 
#11 ·
No nasal mites! The vet drew some blood from each of them to run some additional testing, but for now, it’s still a wait and see. Since reverse sneezing isn’t harmful to dogs, she is wary about medicating them for an unknown underlying cause. So now we wait for the blood work results to come back, and I’ll just have to put in some ear plugs to sleep tonight! lol

Lyka has been a real lifesaver. I have her in a harness with the hard handle at the back, and when I need to do something without the walker, she’s right there supporting me while I hold the handle of the harness. She seems to know I’m not steady, and comes to help if I don’t have the walker out.
And she actually stays out from underfoot! She was always the dog that would randomly do a dead stop in front of you for no apparent reason, and she’s completely stopped doing it since I got home. I’m seriously blessed with some pretty amazing animals. Even if the males in the house are making me want to rehome myself most of the time ?

That's what I do with my girl Ellie. She just stabilizes me when I'm trying to lurch upstairs or just having a really dizzy, gravity is killing me day. I don't have her in harness anymore as she's retired now but, I just lay my hand on her back or if I need a pull, a finger in her collar and she turns like a horse.
They are INCREDIBLE at knowing what to do, or not do.
 
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