Sylvie's snotty snout
Sylvie is a gorgeous 16 year old cat who began to see us in October of 2025 for issues with her right nostril. She was having a lot of mucous from this nostril as well as multiple attacks of sneezing. As time went on, she began eating less and less. It is a common side effect of a blocked nose for cats as they rely very heavily on being able to smell to entice their appetite.
Sylvie's snotty snout
She was started on a course of broad spectrum antibiotics which helped for a little bit but didn't seem to solve the issue. We see this often, as secondary bacteria and infections are killed off but not the root cause of the issue. A whole host of options were discussed for this issue - a CT scan to get a full picture of her sinuses and nostrils, a camera up her nose (called a rhinoscope) to see the surface and ensure no tumours were growing as well as a swab to check for persistent viruses. While we decided, she had her nostril flushed multiple times to help clear the mucous and improve her breathing, appetite and give her a bit more comfort.
She was also started on a course of corticosteroids, with the hope being that this would improve swelling. Alas, there was no change, so she was swapped to an anti-inflammatory medication; with little improvement. So, it was decided that she would go under a general anaesthetic to see if any tissue or discharge could be flushed free that could be sent to the lab to culture for bacteria and assess for cancer in the bone/tissue. Whilst under anaesthetic, a large loose part of her septum (the cartilage in her nose) was able to be retrieved after coming loose from the chronic damage, much to the surprise of Dr Victoria and Dr Caitlin! It is very uncommon to be able to retrieve this much tissue in one go to send to the lab, and this would increase our chances of getting an answer greatly.
After a few days at the lab, it was found that there were no signs of any cancer (something the vets were very worried about due to her age and her symptoms) and that there was an infection that could be treated with a more specialized type of antibiotic. This was the best news possible!
Within days and over the coming weeks, Sylvie began to improve dramatically. She was eating much better, breathing well and gaining weight. No further signs of any sneezing or discharge to be seen. She was checked monthly for a period and then was able to go to less frequent checks. Her most recent check was in July 2026 and she is still happy and healthy and snot free!
