Author: Jennifer S. Fryer, DVM

Recovery and Management of Sinus Infections in Dogs Medical Therapy Bacterial infections in the nose and sinus may be cleared by one course of antibiotics. But recurrence is common due to the anatomy of the nose, which allows for pockets of infection to persist. These infections typically are not life-threatening but may be bothersome to the dog and pet parent. Dogs with ciliary dyskinesia have a very guarded to poor long-term prognosis, as they have difficulty clearing infections with poorly functioning respiratory cilia. Chronic idiopathic rhinosinusitis is a recurrent disease. Some dogs have episodes of the disease with relief for long periods between episodes, while other dogs are persistently affected. If the episodes are persistent, a full diagnostic work-up including CT scan and rhinoscopy is recommended to rule out an underlying infection or nasal mass that could be complicating the disease. Dogs with aspergillus sp. infections in the nose have a better chance of cure if they are young, if more plaques were able to be removed before treatment, and if the dog was not sick for a long time before diagnosis. Brain infections have a more guarded prognosis. Similarly, cryptococcus sp. infections of the brain have a more guarded prognosis than nasal infections. Sinus infections are more difficult to clear, have a longer treatment time, and may require surgery. Surgery Recovery from surgery to repair fractures, trauma, or mass in the nose/sinus may take  several weeks, depending on the extent of the wounds and the complexity of the repair. The long-term prognosis is generally good after a fracture repair, although some dogs are more susceptible to bacterial infections due to loss of the normal bony structures inside of their nose. Dogs that had a tooth root abscess removed generally need to eat soft food for 7-10 days and will go home on antibiotics and a pain reliever. Once the area has healed, the prognosis is excellent. Brachycephalic dogs that have surgery to widen their nostrils and/or remove extra soft palate tissue and their everted laryngeal saccules to ease their breathing will have hospital stay and a recovery lasting about 10 days. Afterward, their prognosis for breathing better is very good. The surgery cannot change the size of the sinuses (due to the shape of the skull), but by improving airflow, nasal and sinus infection occurrences should decrease. Featured Image: iStock.com/Gorica Poturak,References Cappello ZJ, Minutello K, Dublin AB. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Nose Paranasal Sinuses. StatPearls. Online site. Updated February 11, 2023. Billen F, Peeters D. Canine Aspergillosis. Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, ebook. 8th Edition. Elsevier; 2017. Clercx C. Disease of the Trachea and Small Airways. Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, ebook. 8th Edition. Elsevier; 2017. Clercx C, Billen F. Sinusitis and Other Sinus Disorders. Cote’s Clinical Veterinary Advisor: Dogs and Cats, ebook. 4th Edition. Elsevier; 2019. Merveille AC, Battaille G, Billen F, Deleuze S, Fredholm M, Thomas A, Clercx C, Lequarré AS. Clinical findings and prevalence of the mutation associated with primary ciliary dyskinesia in Old English Sheepdogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 2014;28(3):771-778. Oechtering, GU. Diseases of the Nose, Sinuses, and Nasopharynx. Ettinger SJ, Feldman EC, Cote E. Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, ebook. 8th Edition. Elsevier; 2017. Kaczmar, E., Rychlik, A. Szweda, M. The evaluation of three treatment protocols using oral prednisone and oral meloxicam for therapy of canine idiopathic lymphoplasmacytic rhinitis: a pilot study. Irish Veterinary Journal. 2018;71(19).,What Is a Sinus Infection in Dogs? When you think about a dog’s nose, you might imagine a wide-open space inside. But actually, the nose also contains tiny, bony curlicues of specialized skin cells covered with tiny hairs called cilia that help the dog smell and filter debris. These curlicues are very important filters that block dust, pollens, and other particles from getting into your dog’s airways. The sinuses, however, are open spaces where infections can occur. The frontal sinuses are in the back of the nose, near the forehead. The sphenoid sinus is near the middle of the head. In dogs, the maxillary recess in the cheek is so small that it is often empty. In brachycephalic dogs (short-nosed dogs, such as the Pug or French Bulldog), the frontal sinuses are very small or nonexistent. Sinuses have several important functions: They decrease the weight of the skull They improve the sound of the voice They buffer the nose from outside temperature changes They humidify the air the dog breathes in The mucosal lining of the sinuses helps fight infection Since sinuses are surrounded by skull bones, sinuses have little escape from infection when there is infection or a mass in the nose. Sinus infections can also be difficult to treat because there is little blood supply in the sinuses to deliver antibiotics.