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My dog has golf ball lumps under his jaw. Are they swollen nodes?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Yorkshire Terrier | Male | neutered | 10 years and 3 months old | 12 lbs

Today while giving my dog a bath I felt two smaller golf ball sized lumps right under his jaw bilateral on either side of his neck. They seem to almost be touching each other and are slightly movable. Of course I am concerned they are his lymph nodes and cancer may exist. he is a 10 year old yorkie with a collapsed trachea since birth and has had a procedure due to an absess in his nose two years ago that did not present as cancer. I have a vet appointment but they could not see me until fri

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 11th, 2017

I certainly understand being worried about Teddy! Unfortunately, it could be possible that these lumps are his lymph nodes and that they are swollen due to lymphoma (a type of cancer). It could also be that he has a dental problem such as a tooth root abscess causing his enlarged lymph nodes. It's a good idea that you are having him seen by the vet on Friday. You can also the receptionist if they can contact you if an appointment opens up sooner, but definitely have him seen this week. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform.

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