My dog has a swollen lymph node: infection or cancer? What tests?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Lymph nodes that are swollen throughout the body like that is very concerning. I would be very worried about lymphoma. Lymphoma can respond well to some medications, and better if caught early. I would recommend having the nodes sampled to see if they are cancer. Hopefully they are just reactive, but if that is the case you will need to find out what they are reacting too, and treat the infection, as the antibiotic used previously has not worked. Best of luck with Kim.

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.

Hello, sorry to hear about Giuseppe. Because the lymph node has decreased in size with antibiotics alone and the fact that only a single lymph node is enlarged, this is less likely consistent with lymphoma. Lymphoma typically affects multiple nodes and does not respond to antibiotics. Occasionally, active lymph nodes may remain slightly enlarged for a few days, or if the infection is not being completely treated then the lymph node may remain big. The best way to confirm if this lymph node has lymphoma or not, would be to obtain cytology with a with a needle aspirate to have a pathologist examine the cells. Cytology is generally a non-invasive procedure and could be done by your veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello, thank you for your question about Boomer. Based on the symptoms and the tests that have been done so far I agree with your veterinarian's concerns. The two most common causes of enlarged glands in dogs are lymphoma and systemic infection. Since the glands change size an infection is still possible. It could be that the initial antibiotic did not treat the type of infection that Boomer has. Alternatively, it is also possible that Boomer could have lymphoma, and the aspiration of cells could have missed the abnormal portion of the gland. In terms of the next options for testing/treatment you could try starting Boomer on a different type of antibiotic to treat potential infection. Alternatively, I would consider biopsying one of the enlarged glands as this provides a larger piece for the lab to review. Hope this helps, good luck!

If it has come back after the initial course of treatment, I would see if your vet can perform a fine needle aspirate and send it out for cytology review with a pathologist. This will help determine if the lymph node in question is suspicious for lymphoma or not. Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions / concerns. I am also available via consultation.

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.

To say it is Lymphoma it would have to be one of her lymph nodes. Typically when it is lymphoma more then one lymph node will be enlarged. If the lymph node is what is getting larger it is not always lymphoma. It can be from an infection draining, it can be viral or it can even be a tick borne disease causing the increase in the size. I recommend having a veterinarian evaluate Jamber and have them see if it is a lymph node and if so typically an aspirate is recommended and a tick panel to rule out lymphoma and tick borne diseases. If they do find lymphoma I would recommend at least a consult with a veterinary oncologist. They will be able to give you the most up to date information on different Chemotherapy options and see if this is the best option for Jamber and your family. If this is is something as a family you decided not to pursue then there is prednisone which they can put Jamber on. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.