My dog has a swollen, red throat spreading to his chest. Is it cancer?

There are many possibilities, an absess, blocked salivary gland, insect bite or injury would be the most common causes for rapid swelling. The reduced appetite is a concern, this may be due to discomfort, narrowing of the throat or fever. If this persist or increases overnight he should be checked by your vet, monitor for any changes to his breathing which would require an emergency visit

Thanks for the pictures! At 5 months of age (nearly 6!) I doubt very seriously this is cancer, but if an abscess was in this location and is now back it suggests to me that whatever caused the abscess is still there. It's likely that he's going to need a bit of surgery to explore and drain the area. There may be some plant material or other foreign object stuck there, deep under the skin.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Thunderbolt has lymphoma but I'm happy he has been doing fairly well with his prednisone. It is possible that this area could be his lymph node which has swollen/grown significantly in size. This can happen pretty acutely, over the course of several hours to a day. This would suggest that his lymphoma is progressive, and his body may not be responding to the prednisone any longer. There are other chemotherapeutic options that may benefit Thunderbolt. I worry that a mass on his neck could continue to grow and possible cause difficulty breathing or swallowing. I recommend having Thunderbolt evaluated by your veterinarian to determine what the swelling is exactly (lymph node vs. mass vs. abscess, etc), and discuss other treatment options. I hope this is helpful!

I would worry that Vettie could have a disease like lymphoma if his glands are not better with antibiotics. I’d recommend making a recheck appointment with your vet. The next step might be to take an aspirate if the glands using a small needle and sending the sample to a pathologist to review.

There are many lymph nodes in the chest as well and any enlarged ones can cause these signs; unfortunately lungs may be infiltrated by the tumoral cells as well. An immediate check up is needed as x rays can confirm this clinical suspicion and decide whether further treatment can be an option.

Multiple swellings are always a concern and can indicate internal illnesses and lymph node enlargement. A full physical exam, blood tests and samples of the swelling may be required especially with the lethargy and pain

I am sorry to hear about Yogi. With your description of nodules in the lungs and liver, I would be much more suspicious of cancer unfortunately than an abscess. A dog with an abscess may have a fever, but cancer can also cause a fever. The lesions could both cause difficulty breathing or discomfort. You can ask your vet to send any imaging they have done to a radiologist for a review and they may be able to give an opinion based on the images of the potential causes.