Aetiology and diagnosis of persistent nasal disease in the dog: a retrospective study of 42 cases

Forty-two dogs with a history of persistent nasal disease were evaluated by a combination of clinical examination, thoracic and nasal radiography, ret roflexed endoscopy and biopsy, and anterograde rhinoscopy and blind nasal b iopsy. A definitive diagnosis was made in 91 per cent of cases. Neoplasia w as the most common diagnosis (33 per cent of cases), followed by inflammato ry rhinitis (24 per cent). Other diagnoses included periodontal disease (10 per cent), aspergillosis (7 per cent) and foreign bodies (7 per cent), Ade nocarcinoma was the most common tumour diagnosed. The clinical findings wer e found to be too variable to be used as specific diagnostic criteria. Ante rograde rhinoscopy and retroflexed endoscopy had higher specificity and sen sitivity than radiology for the diagnosis of neoplasia, inflammatory rhinit is, aspergillosis and foreign bodies. With a systematic approach to the inv estigation of persistent nasal disease, a definitive diagnosis can be succe ssfully obtained in the vast majority of cases.