My dog has swollen lymph nodes. Are fungal medications safe for her?

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.

Not necessarily as other disease processes can cause lymph node swelling. Every case is different and some dogs have mild lymphadenoapthy at diagnosis and others have significant lymphadenopathy. In general however reactive lymphadenopathy is usually more mild. If lymphadenopathy is suspected it is important to rule out other causes such as systemic diseases (tick borne, fungal, etc.) especially in a young dog in certain parts of the country (or with a travel history), allergic skin disease, etc. Ultimately needle sampling of the lymph nodes is an initial step but will not always diagnose all cases. There are also different types of lymphoma with different presentations, prognoses, and treatment approach. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. That is quite the large bulge on poor Baby's neck! I would not expect the sulfa drug that was given to Baby to cause this focal swelling of a single lymph node. I am more suspicious of this being puppy strangles. This can cause the lymph nodes to become markedly enlarged and the face swollen as well. Unfortunately by advice for you is to take him to the veterinarian as most likely the treatments that need to be administered should be done by a veterinarian. This could also be an abscess in this area, in which case needs to be drained by a veterinarian. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Yes, the infection in the paw can cause the lymph node to be inflamed. Monitor the lymph node closely and if it gets larger or the wound is not resolving in an appropriate amount of time then she should see a vet.

Sometimes there are diseases like lymphoma where there are characteristic symptoms that the vet just knows are caused by that disease. But I recommend getting a fine needle aspirate of Luna's lymph nodes to be sure.

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.