My dog's neck lump isn't improving. Should I get a second vet opinion?

You should give the antibiotics a couple days to work, i am hoping that by Sunday you will start seeing some improvement. if by Monday it is not getting better take him back to the vet, it might need to be opened surgically in order to drain the fluids that are accumulating on that spot.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. 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 Lucy evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi. I would recommend getting the cytology either redone again, or do a biopst to try to find the cause. The fact that it responds to antibiotics concerns me there is an infection somewhere that node is draining. I would be suspicious of the mouth/teeth. If cytology or biopsy comes back as reactive or unhelpful, I would plan a dental cleaning and dental xrays to look closer in mouth.

If the antibiotic therapy helped looks like could be the correct treatment. Maybe the treatment needs a bit more time to completely resolve the problem. But if the treatment completely fail I would suggest to repeat the biopsy and collect a bigger piece of tissue if only a cytology (few cells aspirated with a needle) was performed and if and bacterial origin is still very likely I would recommend to perform a culture to grow the bacteria and select the correct antibiotic. Feel free to post again with the biopsy and culture results for more advices!

I would have this lump checked out on Zeus given that it has grown again. It may be a cyst that needs to be drained and removed, or he may need a longer course of antibiotics. I would bring him into the vet in the morning during normal business hours.

If he is leaking fluid through the lump then it may need to be opened, drained, and flushed. You should call your vet and give him/her an update and see if they want to recheck your dog for possible drainage. Hope he gets better soon!

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.