Sudden swelling of dog's neck

[Golfwalker]

My daughter's dog is 11 years old.  She is a black lab.  All of a sudden, last Sunday we noticed that there was significant swelling under her neck and the flesh was hanging down.  She took her to the vet and they were able to pull some fluid out of a cyst in her neck, they gave her benedryl, an antibiotic and prednizone and they also ran all kinds of blood tests.  Everything was negative, including the test for cancer and her thyroid is normal.

Last night she had to be rushed back to the vet because her neck and whole face was swollen to the point that her eyes were swelling shut.  Again more benedryl but they really don't know what is wrong with her.  They thought that maybe she had been stung or bitten but there are no marks on her.  

We have another dog in our home and nothing is wrong with her.

My daughter has spent $700 with no answers.  Any thoughts you could provide would be welcome

[Misfits4Me]

Hello & welcome.......Where is the cyst on her neck? Exact location?

Because this has happened twice, I feel it's an allergic reaction to something she's getting into.....Any new plants in the home? How about any new cleaning chemicals? Fabric softners, detergents, candles, wall plugs, smelly things like potpourri, etc.?

You are going to have to play detective.......Because it's her face, you also need to rule out an allergic reaction to the food she's eating.......If she has eaten the same food for any length of time, it's possible she is having a reaction to it.....

Dogs can become allergic to their food and water bowls, too. Plastic ones can cause problems......Good luck and let me know what you think....Karla

[Dnapisumop]

Hello, our MinPin, suddenly came up with this exact same scenario… swelling started in the loose neck skin, then moved to her left rear jaw area, then to her snout and now her right ear, vet seems to be at a loss, we have given Benadryl and this is acceptable treatment from the vet as well, she had her shots a month ago (rabies, bordatella and distemper)….  We also have a full size pincher and she has no signs of anything… nothing in the home or dinners have changed…  any updates?

[Misfits4Me]

Hi Beth......How did it turn out? I'm hoping for the best...Please, let us know when you can....Take care, Karla

[Ghilly]

Beth, is there an update about your girl?  What did the vet find out?

Ghilly

[Golfwalker]

I don't think they have done an xray but she is back at the vet now so they might do one. She was having alot of trouble breathing and the vet wanted to see her right away.  I just called my daughter and told her what you said and she was calling her husband who was at the vets.  Thanks so much and I will keep you posted.

Beth

[Ghilly]

Have they done an X-ray?  Are they absolutely certain that there is nothing stuck in there that could be causing a reaction?  A thorn or a foxtail or anything that works its way under the skin can cause a LOT of problems, and it definitely sounds to me like there is something in there that the body is trying to wall off or set up a defense against.  

Ghilly

[Golfwalker]

Hi Karla,

Thanks for your response.  The cyst is in the loose tissue under her jaw.  I told my daughter to also make sure the vet had checked her teeth although I would think that if it was an infected tooth that would have shown up in the blood test.

No new plants, cleaning chemicals, detergents, candles...we have ruled all of them out.  The vet thought that she might be getting stung or bitten but our other dog is fine.

She has been eating this food for a while; however, we did just buy a new bag of it at Costco and I am wondering if there is something in there that she is reacting too.  We use a metal bowl for her food and a hard plastic bowl for both dogs water.

A detective is right!  I'll keep searching and thanks for the tips....Beth