Swollen Lymph Node in Neck

[AJ08]

I discovered a swollen lymph node in the left side of my two year old Shih Tzu's neck.  I immediately took her to the vet and he checked her temperature, which was normal, and felt all other nodes, which were also normal.  After one minute of looking her over he concluded that nothing was wrong and if it was I had caught it "too early", which I didn't think was possible, especially if it is cancer.  He gave her a shot to reduce the swelling and sent us on our way.   I do not think the proper attention was given to this situation, but I don't know if I should wait several weeks to see if swelling subsides or if I should go to another vet.  The vet also didn't bother to check her teeth to rule out any possible tooth infections.  This worried mommy needs help!

[Susanna123]

I have taken my Boston Terrier 3 times just this month (December)for Swollen and Painful/spasms Lymph nodes under jowells (neck) he's had a test of fluid sent to lab which came back Inconclusive, she started him on Imoxcicillin, but I have had to give him Tramodol for Pain:( I was thinking it could be a result of mites! he's always had a problem with these buggers:/ this past summer he would shake his head ALOT and actually yelp:( help me help my beloved pup please...

[Jukie6]

I hope you can reply to let us know how your dog reacted to treatment or what kinds of treatment were given. My 13 yr old beagle was so lethargic and had a large mass form on her node under her right ear and took her from normal to lrthargic and dying befor my eyed. She was literally crying in pain as she laid in my bed for 2 days. So the vet had her come in quickly and actually responded so far to Cephlaxen and Tramadol. She got so bad so fast but i didnt think she should suffer and i lacked funds for a major treatment which i assumed would be her only option. The vet asked me to try the Cephlaxen before i gave up hope and determined if she was better at all within a day or two that this just might be the trick. Low and behold the little girl was so beat down i could see the look of pain she had in her face and she could not eat or even stand on her own, but within 2 days she started eating steak from my hand. Which of course isnt given to her ever as a treat even but i figured in case this was her last meal what was the harm. Well after 2 more days in my bed laying by her side and hand feeding her a ribeye steak plus carrying her out to potty she showed some hope finally.She actually started walking then eating but it took a week for her to fight it off to get back to almost normal. I still wonder if she could have a bigger problem that may break through and make her go back to being so absolutely miserable. I hope that cancer of the lymph nodes can be ruled out at least for now but at this point i keep myself guarded so i am better prepared to help her if it does. Her mass has gone down considerably in size and now we are thanking her for stsying here a bit longer. I won't ever doubt a vet again after such a miraculous recovery. She was done and i could tell she knew something was wrong that was very serious. Beagles are my dogs so I know this was something i had never seen before. It was scary and i felt helpless. I thought for sure she was done and that i was hurting her by trying an antibiotic at her age. It worked and shes still here 10 days later and now she is doing great. The vet did draw a needle with fluid from the lymph node but only drew blood and no cancer cell or white blood cell overabundance was found. He wanted to hold off the blood test as a next resort but we didnt have to go that far just yet.

[Lpayne6]

My doxie had a fight with my g.s.  guess who won?  Doxie had severe lascerations to the throat and neck.  The gland on that side was swollen all
along but we noticed about eighteen months after the incident that it was bigger.  Didnt know at that point if it was a mass or fluid filled.  Vet lanced it and drew out a whole syringe of viscous fluid.  Sent it off.  A few white cells, no cancer.  It filled back up within two weeks.  She rubs that side of her face.  Were awaiting our next vet visit.

[HaleyJoelle]

I have a chihuahua who is a year and a half old. She has had no prior health issues. I noticed her lymph nodes on her neck are enlarged enough to feel. She does not act like they are painful. I can't afford to take her to the vet for a couple weeks. She's eating and drinking just fine. She's also using the bathroom normally. The nodes feel a little warm but I don't think her body has a fever. Is it safe to watch the nnodes until I can get her into the vet? I'm paranoid to not take her to the vet immediately but I just don't have the money. Is there anything I can do on my own to help? Thanks so much for any advice.

[ginger899]

I'm sorry about this but email addresses don't come out in posts.
Anyway, the course of action your vet has suggested sounds like the way to go.
It could be that the lymph node got so badly infected as a result of your dog's condition. Tick disease (is this Lyme?) can drag the immune system down terribly. I guess your vet is doing his best for this? It's a long antibiotic course, but hopefully it will get on top of it.
However your vet will have to rule out any other possible causes for such a dramatically swollen lymph node, so the biopsy sounds sensible under the circumstances.
Is the surgery wound healing OK?

[dogsb4u]

i found a huge swollen lymph node bigger than a softball on my blood hounds neck. it came up over night. i took him to the ER vet and they sent me to my regular vet, she thinks its a reactive lymph node reacting to a bite or other injury,, no visible injury or bite marks. the vet is going to remove the node and send it off for test. all other lymph nodes are feel normal at this time. its the node on his right side of his neck. a large amount of fluid filled around it and the prednisone has made the fluid go away. he also tested positive for tick disease and is taking doxycycline for the treatment.if you have any suggetions or answers please email me ***@****

[LanaCBC]

Thanks for such a great post. My golden 8 y o presented with those nodes on her neck, and I am sure to take her to the vet and go over all the mentioned numbers - just so we do not miss anything. Thank you for being so helpful!

[ginger899]

I am so sorry your question disappeared down the list! That can happen sometimes when a lot of questions come in at once.

OK, so your vet was looking for 'other symptoms' to give him a clue what could be wrong, if anything. But you're right. The very first thing I would think about with a swollen lymph node in the neck, and no other obvious lymphatic involvement would be: 1) tooth infection or damage to tongue, gums, or teeth. 2)infection or inflammation in the throat, or possible foreign body, however small, lodged there. 3) any ear problem, including mite infestation. 4) a scratch, tick bite, wasp sting, or any other (even small) injury to the head area or neck area. 5) eye inflammation or infection.

It does sound like your vet didn't examine your dog in a logical kind of way. I think you should take her to another vet for a second opinion. A lot can be known from her blood values. That, at least, could rule out many systemic problems.

Sometimes, a lymph node will come up then go down again. A lymph node is basically doing its job of protecting the system from any infection. They swell when they are actively doing this. Sometimes with dogs we can't see very easily what can be the cause. It could be a small scratch under the fur, and hard to see, which has 'flared up' a bit, but the immune system will control things, and the lymph node will eventually go down when it has done its job. Lymph nodes will often swell for what appear to be the tiniest of causes! I know. I got a bad insect bite a few weeks ago, and the node went up under my arm for a couple of days, then disappeared. And the bite healed OK.