ADVICE TO PET OWNERS : If your pet is persistently sneezing seek advice from your veterinary surgeon as soon as possible.

Description

Sneezing is a reflex response to inflammation or irritation within the nose or the tissues adjacent to the nose in the nasopharynx. Being a true reflex the individual cannot stop the process once it has started and a sneeze involves the expulsion of mucus, saliva and other material at great speed from the nose and the mouth.

There are many causes of sneezing including :

1. Infections
2. Foreign bodies
3. Allergies
4. Cancer
5. Anatomical defects

Sneezing is a very important mechanism for the spread of infection via aerosol. The best examples of this are respiratory viruses, not only the human cold and flu viruses with which we are all familiar, but also infectious diseases of cats generally called "cat flu".

b) Foreign bodies

Foreign objects (e.g. grass awns, seeds, pollen and other particulate materials) frequently find there way up the nose during normal breathing or sniffing in the environment. Very small particles can pass through the nose into the upper respiratory tract - pharynx, larynx or windpipe (trachea), but larger materials are trapped in the hairs or narrow passages within the nose. Foreign bodies of any significant size cause irritation and may become lodged within the nasal cavity. The sneeze reflex is a useful, natural protective mechanism which helps to get rid of the object by the forceful ejection of mucus and air from the nasal cavities.

If a foreign body gets stuck within the nose it causes persistent sneezing, with local discomfort and rubbing of the nose, and sometimes shaking of the head. Local damage to the lining of the nasal cavity and secondary infection which can lead to a purulent discharge (white, cream, yellow or green) and sometimes bleeding.

Sometimes the foreign body will be seen by looking up the nose, in which case it can usually be removed quite easily (under a general anaesthetic). On other occasions it can be detected as an obstruction to the passage of a nasal tube.

Most foreign bodies that find their way up the nose consist of plant material and so do not show up easily on plain X-rays. But if one has been present for some time there may be fluid (pus) accumulation or, even worse, bone destruction due to infection. In such circumstances significant changes can be seen on a radiograph including increased radiodensity due to fluid filling air spaces and loss of the fine trabecular pattern that is typical of the nasal turbinates. Bone loss leads to radiolucent areas.

To avoid serious consequences such as chronic secondary infection (called rhinitis) or permanent damage to local tissues (including the possibility of bone destruction) it is important to removal the foreign body. This can be achieved either directly through the external nasal orifice using long forceps, by retro-flushing the cavity forcefully with saline, or by surgically opening up the nasal cavity by removing a flap of the nasal bones lying over the foreign body.

Depends upon the cause, eg  the nature of the foreign body and the severity of local tissue damage, tissue loss and the type of infection. Chronic rhinitis is a significant problem that requires long term medical treatment in some cases - particularly if the infectious agent is aspergillus.

Last updated : October 2013