My Pomeranian has swollen, lumpy eyelids; why can't vets diagnose it?

Oscar needs to be examined by the veterinarian today. That swelling most likely indicates an allergic reaction, a deep skin infection or cellulitis. All of these conditions require treatment. Make sure to protect his eyes from any rubbing by having him wear an Elizabethan collar at all times. Rubbing the eye could make things worse. Have him seen quickly. Best of luck.

It is hard to tell without a biopsy or a needle sample for examination under a microscope. That is probably what your vet will do when you take Peanut in. Sometimes masses that look like this are viral papillomas or benign skin growths, other times they can be aggressive soft tissue tumors. You can never say 100% without some diagnostic testing.

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 Teddy evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good day!

If this happened within a few hours, then allergies would be my first suspicion. However, it appears that there are areas of hair loss around the eyes and on the face. If this has been more gradual (like in the span of a week or more), then my top suspicion is demodectic mange. This is a microscopic mite that is normally found on the skin and can get out of control in certain conditions. You will have to take Koho to the vet in order to get this diagnosed and adequately treated. These conditions are usually quickly diagnosed and we can normally get a diagnosis and treatment plan at the first consult. I hope that helps and Koho gets better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to an allergic reaction or it could even be an actual on going allergy to something like fleas, food or an allergen in the environment. Allergic reactions are usually treated with anti-histamine medications such as Benadryl and steroids. Cameron should be evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They could start therapy for this to see if it improves. In most cases it does improve and resolve and if no further exposures to the antigen occur, then this would not recur. Hopefully he does great! He is adorable! Good luck!

Poor Levi.....his eyelid is really swollen! Since the bumps just appear they could be hives from some type of allergic reaction. Since his eyelid so so swollen and red, it would be a good idea to have him examined by a vet for treatment. An anti-histamine and corticosteroid may be needed to help. Hope he gets better soon!

It sounds like this might be due to an allergy or autoimmune problem given the response to corticosteroids. Sometimes the lymph tissue associated with the third eyelid can become enlarged and I’m wondering if that is the case with the right eye, but it’s difficult to say without being able to examine in person. If the symptoms are not resolving with treatment you may want to ask your vet about referral to an ophthalmologist.