Why is my dog's lip swollen, painful, with swollen neck nodes? Cancer?

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.

I would be concerned that this lymph node enlargement potentially represents lymphoma. Hopefully one of the vets in your area can do a fine needle aspirate or biopsy of the node to see whether this is indeed cancer, or perhaps an infection that is not responding to the particular antibiotics being given. I would also consider a biopsy of the ulcer on the lip, as that may be a cancerous process which is causing secondary lymph node enlargement.

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.

We cannot link to previous question but his mouth does look both inflamed and infected and chronic inflammation can trigger abscesses and tumors. I recommend getting him checked by your vet and scheduling dental work as soon as possible

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jack. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. He will need to be examined. The swelling may be aspirated with a small needle. The cells are then evaluated under the microscope to determine if it is a lymph node, infection, salivary gland or a mass. Based in these results treatment can be recommended if necessary. I hope this information helps!

If Georgia is only a year old and only has a single swollen lymph node it is more likely infection related. However, the only way to know for sure is to have her examined and a needle aspirate sample obtained from the lymph node. Your veterinarian can evaluate the sample under the microscope to help determine if it is infection or cancer related. I'd recommend getting it checked out fairly soon as Georgia may need antibiotics or other supportive treatment if it is related to infection. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I'm hoping for a good prognosis for Georgia May!

I would recommend removal or at least a biopsy of the lymphnodes (where a little piece of the lymph node is removed). This can be done under geeneral anesthesia, which nowadays is very safe or, if your dog is very quiet, may be done under sedation and a local anesthesia (I would prefer the general anesthesia though). This could indeed be lymphoma or it could be reactive lymph nodes, swelling because they are filtering out bacteria and other material that the body does not deem healthy. Should it be lymphoma and you do not want chemotherapy , your dog can indeed be made comfortable with steroids. Rather than hoping and guessing whether it is lymphoma or not, the biopsy, whether done by taking the whole lymphnode or just part of it, will give you a diagnosis and then you can deal with the disease.