Swollen lymph nodes in neck (tacran)

YIKES! Good news is the swelling has gone down! If it hadn't then the worry level would have increased.

Are you sure it's the lymph nodes and not somehting like the salivory glands? Both are in the same area and for some they're easily mistaken for each other.

If she's eating alright, drinking, acting normal, and the swelling is gone down then I'd just keep an eye on it for now. Maybe benedryl might help if it is bite, scratch, allergy related.

And....I'm probably worse than you when it comes to worrying and expecting the worse! 

Give her lots of luvins for me...K.

Yeah you can always feel them a little (they are usually about the size of a lima bean depending on the size of the dog and *their* body).  I'm going to tell you to err on the side of caution and take her to the vet, just because ....

They will swell in any response to a 'threat' to the body - bacteria, viral, and beyond.  And they don't ALL necessarily swell when it's something good or bad.  That's one of the biggie reasons I'm saying VET. 

It doesn't have to be a state of panicked emergency but I would have the vet look at it.  He will know if there is still residual problem and he might decide the body needs a round of antibiotics just because ...

We had a dog once that had been hugely heartworm positive and we treated her.  But at one stage new foster people took her and they didn't continue the protocol begun and as a result her immune system crashed.  We got her back eventually and got her healthy again and then I found her glands MASSIVELY swollen one day (like it felt like a frigging ping pong ball.  I was SO upset ... like you I zoomed to "cancer"

Took her to the vet who thost yeah it was likely cancer and her white cell count was off the charts.  BUT he decided just in case he would give her a round of Baytril while I did a cancer diet.  He felt like it couldn't hurt and it *might* help. 

It turned the trick -- it apparently WAS a systemic infection.  She showed no other signs.  But yeah .. VET. 

Basically any time you feel something that is just plain beyond your realm of knowledge and you are in doubt.  VET.  It really is the most sensible thing. 

A vet visit is a good idea, but keep in mind that when lymph nodes swell they are doing their job as part of the immune system.  It is only if the canine lymph nodes have trouble handling a problem that serious vet intervention is needed. 

However, lymph nodes swelling can be a red flag that something is developing, so I would want blood tests for my peace of mind.

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/cancer/c_multi_lymphadenopathy

Note:  I looked like a little bulldog when I had the mumps as a child.    My lymph nodes were working like crazy to help clear the virus from my system.  They eventually prevailed and my face went back to normal. 

Thanks Jackie and Janet.  Janet, that link had some good information -- thanks for sharing it.

All seems okay this evening --- she had a good dinner and started her early evening mischief when she wants to play or walk rather than wait for us to finish our dinner!  I feel like she seems "mellower," but I'm probably being overly sensitive.  We called the vet, and of course, on short notice, appointments were tight.  We're on a waiting list for Thursday, but if that doesn't work, she'll go in first thing next week, at least for some baseline bloodwork.

She had a full panel done in mid-April.  It was normal, with just a couple items borderline high (high neutrophils and red blood cell count).  It'll be good to get another panel to look for a trend or change in anything. 

An update:  I was working -- DH took Ruby to the clinc, so I heard second-hand what the vet said.  She said lymph nodes feel normal, the basic bloodwork was good, and Ruby looks great (she's got a super shiny coat and is a lean 55 pounds).

There was one measurement (I think it's called monocytes?) -- the percentage measurement was elevated, but the actual count was within acceptable ranges.  The vet said she was not concerned, that some of those blood percentages can be slightly high or low, depending on the specific breed the dog is.  She gave an example (I think she said greyhounds) -- their red blood cell percentages can be higher than other breeds.  I guess it's like comparing the blood tests of an endurance athlete with your average person who isn't highly active.  Some high or low marks aren't necessarily an indication of an illness.

Thanks again for all the replies.  It looks like this was just an isolated thing, but we've got baseline info now.

Monocytes are essentially the body taking out its own trash.  So "some" is actually good.  And the fact that her body was disposing of whatever residue from this "thing" was probably really good.  that's an over-simplistic explanation but that's how it's been explained to me.  If monocytes are really high that's another thing and if they are high with something *else* high .. that's a different thing.

Some breeds (typically your really lean very thin coated really active breeds (greyhounds whippets, iggy's, etc.) DO have higher red blood cell counts-- they also tend to be the preferred breeds for stuff like giving blood (Dr. Dodds keeps a whole bank of retired greyhounds for exactly that purpose -- after they give a couple of years as donor dogs she then finds homes for all of them and rotates them out constantly,''

You have experience now -- now you *Know* what a lymph gland feels like and where some of them are.  (there are also lymph glands behind the knees.  They aren't something to obscess over but it's nice to know!!

calliecritturs

Some breeds (typically your really lean very thin coated really active breeds (greyhounds whippets, iggy's, etc.) DO have higher red blood cell counts

Thanks for the extra explanation of monocytes.  It is good to add this to our "knowledge base" for Ruby's medical history!