My puppy's neck is swollen from a bite by its mother. What to do?

This requires immediate veterinary check up as disinfections, antibiotics and stitch up procedure are required. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Those images could either be a bite that is infected, or could be a very enlarged lymph node and a condition called 'puppy strangles' where the lymph nodes swell up. Either way, it looks very serious and requires medical attention. The treatment for these two different conditions is very different and treatment for one could make the other much worse. I recommend you bring your puppy to a veterinarian right away for treatment. Best of luck with your little one, I hope he feels better soon!

Oh no, that's not good! It's not normal that Puppy has a lot of swelling on the side of her neck, and she could have injured herself causing the swelling. There could be damage to the internal structure of her neck, and she should be evaluated by a vet immediately. I would take Puppy, her littermates, and her mother into an ER vet clinic or find a vet on call to see them now.

It sounds as though your vet initially suspected an infection causing the swelling around Lexi's neck. There can be some very minimal fluctuation in the prominence of the salivary glands and lymph nodes that are located under the neck, which can certainly occur with infections. However, other conditions can also cause swelling in these areas. Puppy strangles (also called juvenile cellulitis) is an autoimmune condition that can cause some pretty prominent swellings around the neck. Given Lexi's age, this would be my first suspicion. Other issues, including lymphoma or a salivary mucocele, are always possible, although they'd be highly unlikely in such a young puppy. At this point, I think your next step is to take Lexi back to her vet for a follow up visit. Your vet will likely want to run some diagnostic testing on this swelling or even some baseline blood work to check her blood cell counts and organ function. Depending on their findings, they may prescribe steroids to help treat puppy strangles or another medication to treat a different condition. I hope that everything goes well!

Hello, poor Miko. That looks like it is more associated with his neck than jaw. I would be concerned about a potential infection (abscess) especially if mom has snapped at the puppies. Otherwise It could be various other things. I would have your veterinarian take a look at it and see if he feels like it is attached to any of the structure of the neck. A neck ultrasound might buy you the best detail and information. Hope this helps.

Oh no, poor Sasha! I'm sorry she was bitten and is now very swollen on top of the head and under the neck. I would be concerned that she has suffered from internal injuries from the bite, and she should see a vet immediately for medical treatment. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

This may be an injury or an infection. Best to have a veterinarian examine your puppy. Bring mama and the whole litter for a wellness exam and in the course of that show your veterinarian the sick puppy.