My dog's chin swells with red liquid. Vets are stumped. What is it?

Hello, sorry to hear about Chessie. It sounds like she could be having loose skin on her neck which some dogs commonly get. However, other skin swellings in that area could indicate a swollen lymph node or salivary gland. An abscess could form there as well. Theses are commonly firm, and more frequently painful than not. Muscle that weakens with the use of steroids does not typically hang or sag, it just becomes smaller. If Chessie is not painful and this skin seems like excess skin and not a formed mass or swelling, then you may continue to monitor her at home. If you note any pain, excessive salivation, difficulty swallowing, or a decreased appetite, then have her evaluated immediately. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I am suspicious that he has An abscess (infection). In that location it could be from a tooth, or some sort of trauma or migrating foreign object. I would highly encourage you to have him evaluated by a veterinarian soon. This likely needs antibiotics, and possibly surgery as well. In the meantime I would warm compress the area several times a day. This may encourage the abscess to drain which is what we want. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon.

I assume the ER has run blood work to rule out an issue with the kidneys or liver where there may be low albumin levels in the blood resulting in anasarca which is where fluid builds up in the tissues because protein is lost either through the GI tract or in the urine? Swelling can also be due to infection which may show up on blood work as a high neutrophil count, for which systemic antibiotics can definitely help. I can only imagine how stressful this must be for you. Thankfully at an ER they will be able to intubate or even perform a tracheostomy if he really becomes unable to breathe. Hoping Jack improves soon!

It sounds as though your vet initially suspected an infection causing the swelling around Lexi's neck. There can be some very minimal fluctuation in the prominence of the salivary glands and lymph nodes that are located under the neck, which can certainly occur with infections. However, other conditions can also cause swelling in these areas. Puppy strangles (also called juvenile cellulitis) is an autoimmune condition that can cause some pretty prominent swellings around the neck. Given Lexi's age, this would be my first suspicion. Other issues, including lymphoma or a salivary mucocele, are always possible, although they'd be highly unlikely in such a young puppy. At this point, I think your next step is to take Lexi back to her vet for a follow up visit. Your vet will likely want to run some diagnostic testing on this swelling or even some baseline blood work to check her blood cell counts and organ function. Depending on their findings, they may prescribe steroids to help treat puppy strangles or another medication to treat a different condition. I hope that everything goes well!

In a small dog, my first suspicion would be a tooth-root abscess. Small dogs tend to get rather diseased teeth as they age and are prone to infections like this. The other possibility is that he bumped his face on something. This is over a bony area that can swell with fluid when it hits something hard (i.e. door, chair, etc.). In this case, the swelling will eventually go down within two weeks or so. In order to tell exactly what it is, you'll have to take Teddy to a vet. They can take a sample of the fluid and help to narrow-down the possibilities. I hope that helps and Teddy gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This could even be an infection. I do not recommend you give him those pills as they are unlikely to help. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good day!

That is sure an impressively swollen lip! Poor Claire! This type of swelling could be a few things. Even though your vet thought the teeth look okay, we can't tell what is going on under the gumline, and an abscess from an infected tooth could be a possibility. Autoimmune disease is also a possibility. She could have a ruptured salivary gland. Or it could be something as simple as an insect bite. It is hard to get a full idea of the extent of the swelling from just the pictures alone. A fine needle aspirate, or using a needle to collect some cells from the swollen tissue, could give a better idea of the cause. I hope it is something that goes away quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.