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For families
Your dog was diagnosed. What now?
The essentials on one page: the signs, the tests, the treatment options and what to expect. Bring it to your next appointment and use it to frame questions for your veterinary oncologist.
Often from one nostril, sometimes intermittent.
Mucus or pus from one side, sometimes tinged with blood.
A bump over the nose or below the eye.
Persistent or worsening, not resolved by allergy treatment.
Reduced airflow through one or both nostrils.
Watery eye, discharge, or an eye that bulges on one side.
Pawing at the face, or not wanting the muzzle touched.
Can occur if the tumor reaches the brain. Seek care right away.
Allergies and many infections usually affect both nostrils. Signs that stay on one side are a reason to look further.
- Exam and history
Your vet checks airflow through each nostril, the face, eyes, teeth and the lymph nodes under the jaw.
- Blood work and clotting tests
Rules out bleeding disorders, high blood pressure and tick-borne disease as causes of nosebleeds, and checks overall health before anesthesia.
- CT scan of the head
The key test. It shows the tumor's size, bone destruction, and whether it reaches the eye socket or the cribriform plate near the brain. It is also the map used to plan radiation.
- Rhinoscopy and biopsy
A tissue sample, often taken right after the CT, is examined by a pathologist. A biopsy is the only way to confirm the tumor type.
- Staging
Chest imaging and lymph node sampling check for spread. Combined with the CT, this assigns a stage that guides treatment and prognosis.
| Option | What it involves | Typical schedule | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stereotactic radiation (SRT / SRS) | Very precise, high-dose beams shaped to the tumor, guided by CT. Spares more surrounding tissue. | 1–5 sessions | Tumor control with fewer anesthesia events |
| Conventional (definitive) radiation | Lower doses given over many sessions to the tumor and a margin around it. | 12–20 sessions | Long-term tumor control |
| Palliative radiation | A short course aimed at relieving bleeding, pain and congestion. | 1–4 sessions | Comfort and quality of life |
| Surgery after radiation | Removal of remaining tumor tissue in selected dogs after radiation. | Specialist decision | Longer control in select cases |
| Medications | Anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), some chemotherapies or targeted drugs, and drugs to manage bleeding. | Ongoing | Comfort, slow growth |
| Clinical trials | Access to new treatments, such as FLASH, immunotherapy or ablation technologies. | Varies | New options and new knowledge |
SRT vs. SRS
Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) delivers the full dose in a single session. Stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) splits it into a few sessions, usually three. Both need specialized equipment and planning. Find a center.
Side effects
Expect temporary irritation of the nose lining, skin and eyes. Ask about dry eye and cataracts, which can appear later. Stereotactic techniques aim to reduce these effects.
Bars show the range of median survival reported across studies, not the range for individual dogs. Many dogs live well beyond these figures.
What affects the outlook
- Stage, especially whether the tumor has broken through the cribriform plate
- Tumor type (carcinoma vs. sarcoma)
- Whether signs like nosebleeds are present at diagnosis
- Response to the first course of treatment
Quality of life comes first
Radiation often relieves bleeding and congestion within weeks. Track good days and hard days with your family and your vet. Comfort, appetite and breathing are the best guides.
- What stage is the tumor, and does it involve the cribriform plate?
- Is my dog a candidate for stereotactic radiation, conventional radiation, or both?
- How many anesthesia sessions will treatment need?
- What side effects should we watch for, during treatment and months later?
- Are there clinical trials my dog could join?
- What can we do at home for comfort, nutrition and activity?
- How will we know whether treatment is working?
- Is an immunotherapy such as Gilvetmab an option for my dog?
Gilvetmab
Gilvetmab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor made for dogs. It targets PD-1, a receptor on T-cells (a type of white blood cell), and blocks it from binding to PD-L1 and PD-L2. Tumors use that connection as a brake on the immune system. Releasing the brake lets the dog's own T-cells recognize and destroy cancer cells.
Ask your oncologist whether Gilvetmab fits your dog's tumor type and stage, and whether it could be paired with radiation.