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Dogs are curious animals and often smell plants or try to ingest certain insects that can lead to an allergic reaction, leaving the dog with a swollen neck or other regions such as the muzzle.
Allergic reaction or anaphylactic reaction is one of the most common causes whose main symptom is swelling and inflammation of the structures involved. This reaction can be something as simple as a swelling or it can be something more dangerous that, in minutes, can compromise your pet's life.
Also, certain neoplasms (tumors) can trigger swelling in the dog's neck. To learn more about allergic reactions in dogs and everything What can it bedog with swollen neck, don't miss this article from PeritoAnimal.
Dog with a swollen neck, what can it be?
At causes of dog with a swollen neck can be:
Allergic Reactions
Allergic reactions can be triggered by insect bites, arachnids or reptiles, allergiesfood, vaccine reactionsor drug and contact allergies (plants or chemicals).
My dog has a swollen face: what to do?
Allergic reactions can cause local swelling at the bite/contact site, with puppies with a swollen face being more common. To learn more about "puppy face puffy, what can it be", see this article.
The allergic reaction is a defense mechanism of the body, however, sometimes it can take uncontrolled proportions and cause an anaphylactic reaction (general systemic reaction) that can lead to:
- anaphylactic shock
- Cardiorespiratory failure
- Death.
ganglion reaction
Lymph nodes are small structures in the lymphatic system that are responsible for filtering and fighting disease-causing agents (such as viruses and bacteria). Once in the lymph nodes, the defense cells (mainly lymphocytes) will attack the agent and try to eliminate it. While this process takes place, the ganglion can become reactive, hot, painful and enlarged. If it's something easy to fix, the situation regresses in 3 or 4 days. Otherwise, the ganglion continues to enlarge and becomes very painful to the touch.
An infection in a tooth can result in a lymph node reaction or abscess, explaining why you see the dog with a swollen neck.
Lymphoma is a cancer (malignant tumor) that results from the uncontrolled proliferation of lymphoid tissue cells. In stage I it manifests as an increase in a regional ganglion, in stage II it involves several ganglia in the same area and in stage III it affects all ganglia. It appears more in older and middle-aged dogs, and it can also be found in very young animals.
Bruises
When a trauma or injury and the structure of one or more blood vessels is affected, blood may leak out of them, resulting in hemorrhage. If the wound is connected to the outside, the blood flows to the outside. However, if there is no connection to the outside, a bruise (accumulation of blood between the tissues, causing more or less extensive swelling, explaining why you notice the dog with a swollen face) or bruise (the well-known bruise, of reduced dimensions).
In case of bleeding: try to cover it with towels to stop the bleeding and take the animal to the vet as soon as possible.
In case of hematoma: in these cases, you can place ice on the site and then apply ointments that have in its composition, for example, sodium pentosan polysulphate or mucopolysaccharide polysulphate, with local anticoagulant, fibrinolytic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
abscesses
abscesses are encapsulated accumulationsof purulent material under the tissues (skin, muscle, fat) and are the body's way of trying to expel microorganisms or a foreign body (such as seeds, thorns or dust).
If they are located in the neck, it is more common to be consequence of scratches or bites of other animals. They are usually accompanied by much pain, a lot of touch sensitivity and local temperature rise and, in more advanced stages, the abscess capsule can fistulate and drain the material to the outside, presenting a varied appearance (between bloody or puffy purulent) and an unpleasant odor.
You can put a warm, moist compress on the spot to try to stimulate blood circulation. If the abscess is already draining, you should clean and disinfect twice a day with saline or diluted chlorhexidine. Many of them require systemic antibiotics, so be sure to ask your trusted veterinarian for help.
tumors
Dogs with swollen necks can also be explained by tumors. Tumors of the thyroid, bone, muscle mass or skin of the neck are usually easily seen through pronounced swellings or sores that never heal that can even deform the animal's neck.
the tumors benign they are generally slow-growing tumors, are localized and do not metastasize (do not spread to other tissues or organs).
when are evil they grow fast, are very invasive locally and can metastasize.
Regardless of the malignancy of the tumor, the earlier it is evaluated and diagnosed, the better the chances of treatment and cure.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Dog with a swollen neck, what can it be?, we recommend that you enter our Other health problems section.