My dog's swollen lymph node shrank but is still hard. Is this normal?

It sounds like Hero is starting to feel better based on your information. Swollen lymph nodes can be secondary to infection, inflammation or local disease. It is possible the antibiotics has helped the lymph nodes go back to normal size. Unfortunately with out additional testing like X-rays or aspirates of the lymph nodes it is hard to give you additional direction. I would recommend following up with your vet to make sure Hero makes a speedy recovery. I hope that helps

Swollen lymph nodes can be a sign of cancer, tick borne diseases, or infections. The swollen nodes will not go back to normal until the underlying cause is addressed. I'd recommend seeing a veterinarian - a test for tick disease or sampling the lymph node with a needle might be recommended.

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Knuckles! I would make an appointment for Knuckles to see his Vet. The swelling can be from an infected or inflamed salivary gland or lymph node. He could also have an abscess from foreign material penetrating the mouth or from the outside, be experiencing an allergic reaction or possibly even have a tooth root abscess. An enlarged lymph node can also be from lymphoma, a type of cancer. Usually though more than one lymph node is swollen if a dog has lymphoma. I hope this helps and I wish Knuckles a speedy recovery!

In my experience lymph nodes can be enlarged for days to week after a dental cleaning if the teeth were bad enough. However best thing to do is aspirate the lymph node and send out the cytology. This will tell you for sure why they are enlarged and help you not worry.

Lymph nodes can become enlarged because they are draining an infection or inflammatory part of the body, because the lymphatic flow is being disrupted, or because of cancer in the nodes. I would discuss additional diagnostics with your vet, which may vary depending on which lymph nodes are involved. Aspiration of the affected lymph nodes is easy and can often be done without sedation. The samples are sent to a pathologist for review. X-rays of the chest and or abdomen may be indicated. Ultrasound of the abdomen may be needed. Dental cleaning and removal of diseased teeth if the lymph nodes are near the head.

Yes they sure can. Inflammatory cells will go to the inflamed area of the skin, which will in turn cause swelling of the lymph nodes. However, the area of inflammation usually correlates to the lymph node, so if the lymph nodes under the jaw are swollen, then the face/neck skin area have to be inflamed in order to be considered the cause. The leg and tail area don't drain into the neck lymph nodes, so this is likely unrelated. Typically swelling from licking does not go away on its own. You will need to see your local vet to have Ryley placed on allergy medication to control the itch and also look at the swollen lymph nodes to ensure these are in response to a localized skin infection as well. If there are swollen lymph nodes, there is nothing over the counter that will likely resolve this; however, you can start an aloe based or oatmeal based shampoo to help soothe the skin a bit until you can get Ryley seen by your vet. I hope that your pet Ryley has some resolve to his skin issue soon! Best wishes and take care. : )

Dogs and people have lymph nodes under the skin in the neck area. They are firm, oval usually and do move a little when they are touched. If your dog had a flea bite reaction or skin irritation/infection from scratching the lymph nodes may be a little bigger than normal and easier to feel. From your description this is nothing I’m overly concerned about. I would check the bump every few days, if it is getting larger or becomes painful she may have an infection so then I would take her in for an exam and treatment. I expect the bump to get smaller in a few days to a week. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Trixie.