My dog has lymphoma, is losing weight, and face is swelling. What to do?

Twenty pounds is a lot of weight to lose in three weeks, and that's very concerning to me! I would have Shady seen by a vet first thing in the morning. The swollen lymph nodes unfortunately could be a sign of lymphoma, which would also account for the weight loss. He could also have a severe infection causing the lymph node swelling. Please take him into the vet tomorrow. Best of luck.

Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear that Daisy has been feeling so poorly. It is very concerning that she is experiencing difficulty breathing with wheezing, and weight loss. Difficulty breathing indicates that she is already in some degree pain with a diminished quality of life. Given her enlarged lymph nodes, weight loss, and respiratory changes, lymphoma would be my primary concern. This would be diagnosed by fine needle aspirates that use a needle to draw a few cells out of her lymph nodes for microscopic evaluation. However, even if you opt not to pursue further testing (which is understandable), I still strongly recommend taking Daisy to her vet for a physical exam and thorough discussion of her current quality of life. It may be in Daisy's best interest to consider euthanasia to alleviate her suffering. I realize that this is never an easy decision to make, but I hope that an open discussion with her vet may provide some clarity. I'm sorry that you and Daisy are going through this situation.

Hi, thanks for using Petcoach! Oh, poor Ace! The most common lymph nodes that we can feel on the outside are the ones under the jaw/neck, the prescapular (where the front legs meet the neck) and the popliteals (behind the knees or "knee pit"). If you are able to feel lymph nodes that are larger than 1 cm to egg sized then the most common reason is lymphoma. Especially in a dog Ace's age and with the weight loss. It is easy to diagnose lymphoma by aspirating the lymph nodes. Chemotherapy is the treatment of choice but sometimes steroids alone can give a couple of months of good time. I am very sorry and I wish you and Ace the best! https://i.pinimg.com/736x/92/b8/6b/92b86b3ac41a6dc3e5912beb441068dc--lymph-nodes-pet-health.jpg

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Unfortunately, it is impossible to say for sure what the cause is based on your description. Lymph nodes can become enlarged due to inflammation, infection or cancer. Seeing that Diamond is a boxer breed, is 7 years old, losing weight and has enlarged lymph nodes leads me to suspect something such as Lymphoma (a type of cancer) as the cause. I would recommend having this further worked up with a veterinarian and have further testing done such as a needle aspirate and cytology to help determine what it could be. This test is not that expensive and can tell a veterinarian a lot about the area tested. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I am so sorry about the diagnosis for you and Diamond. This is a cancer of the blood so it can go anywhere. Typically without chemotherapy and only prednisone the survival time is 30-60 days. You can try low fat yogurt, lean ground beef, turkey, chicken and rice and baby food. Typically they will feel nauseated and sick and will not have an appetite towards the end. The swelling from the lymph nodes can interfer with their comfort and breathing. They will drop weight drastically. When they are too weak to walk anymore and have no appetite or keep vomiting then it will be time for you to discussed euthanasia and quality of life with your vet.

This depends on the underlying cause of the welling. In some cases water tablets/diuretics may help but I would be concerned with her history that there may be a physical mass which is putting pressure on the draining blood vessels and lymphatics preventing the fluid from moving out her abdomen and legs in which case this will not respond to medical treatment and euthanasia would be strongly advised before clots or severe infection develops in the swollen tissue

I recommend you make an appointment to have Maya seen by your vet as soon as you can based on the information you provided. Lymph nodes can become enlarged for a number of reasons, including infection, inflammation, trauma, or, unfortunately, certain types of cancers. There are also salivary glands near the neck that can become enlarged due to dental disease, infection, inflammation, or even stones in the salivary glands. Your vet will be able to help you determine what the areas you are feeling are and help devise a treatment plan accordingly. Best of luck to you both!