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You were petting your dog and noticed he has a lump on his neck? Don't be scared, the causes of lumps are not always malignant.
The essential thing to do is to take your pet and ask the opinion of the veterinarian who will examine it, make a diagnosis and prepare the most appropriate treatment.
In this article by PeritoAnimal we will focus on lump in the dog's neck: what can it be? and what you can do when you encounter this problem.
Dog with a lump in its neck - now what?
Often, lumps appear on the animal's body that are of concern to any owner. If you act fast and take him to the veterinarian as soon as you identify a lump in the dog's body, you are already helping a possible cure.
A dog with a lump in the neck is easy to identify as it is a very visible and accessible place to touch. There are many factors that can lead to a lump in a dog:
- Microchip: the microchip can often cause confusion when detected. It is shaped like a rice grain or capsule, and if you feel it, it moves easily across the top of the neck and can be mistaken for a lump.
- ticks: very small and soft parasites that can be confused with lumps when they lodge under the skin. It is important that all the parasite is removed, because if the mouth remains, it can lead to more serious consequences such as granulomas.
- warts: in younger or older animals with weaker defenses small “cauliflower” appear with a hard consistency. They are benign and usually disappear after a few months.
- Histiocytomas: pastas benign and rigid, very common in puppies, disappearing after a while.
- Side reactions to vaccines or injections: painful and harsh inflammatory reactions resulting from recently applied vaccines and the most common site is the neck and limbs.
- abscesses: painful or not and tender at an early stage and hard in full infection. They result from bite infections or poorly healed wounds that evolved into this type of lump.
- Bruises: accumulated blood lumps due to trauma, being soft at first and hardening over time
- sebaceous cysts: blockage of the sebaceous glands causes these cysts of rigid consistency that do not usually cause discomfort to the animal
- allergic dermatitis: bumps of variable consistency depending on the severity of the allergic reaction
- enlarged lymph nodes: painful and sometimes can be adhered to the skin, are disease indicators, in the neck the easiest to identify are the mandibular (below the ears and close to the lower edge of the mandible) and retropharyngeal (near the beginning of the neck)
- Lipomas: hard fat accumulations that appear in obese and old puppies. Are harmless and surgery is only recommended if the lipoma is affecting the animal's quality and well-being.
- Malignant skin tumors: usually of soft consistency, after the definitive diagnosis, they must be completely removed without leaving any affected tissue to prevent malignant cells that spread to other organs.
These factors are explained in detail in the article corresponding to lump in a dog.
Diagnosis
As we have seen, the causes can be very varied, but determining the characteristics of the lump in the dog's skin leads to a faster and more accurate diagnosis. A soft lump in the dog's neck can indicate another malignant skin tumor while a hard lump in the dog's neck can be associated with less serious causes, however it is important to emphasize that not all situations are like this and there are some exceptions that only the doctor veterinarian can identify.
For example, a lump in a dog's eye is more closely related to warts, abscesses, tear gland cysts, allergic dermatitis, or tumors.
Thus, lump in the dog, despite being simple to identify visually, is a very complex issue with regard to diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, you must provide the following information to the veterinarian:
- animal history: vaccines, habits, diet and disease history.
- Characteristics of the stone: when you noticed that it appeared, if, however, it increased in size, if there were changes in color, size and shape.
- if animal presents other symptoms such as apathy or loss of appetite.
Other questions can be asked to gather as much information as possible and help with diagnosis.
The physician will use this information and, together with the physical examination, will determine which laboratory methods and complementary exams are needed to make a final decision:
- Aspiration cytology
- Biopsy (partial or even total mass collection)
- X-ray
- ultrasound
- Computerized tomography (CAT)
- Magnetic Resonance (MRI)
Treatment
When we are facing a dog with a lump in the neck, we have to consider what type of treatment we are going to apply according to its location and malignancy.
Ticks and fleas can be treated with suitable antiparasitics and abscesses and bruises drained and cleaned. In some cases, antibiotics and antihistamines or corticosteroids may be prescribed.
Usually, the surgical removal It is the ideal solution for both benign and malignant nodules, as its removal removes much of the suspicion that they might become malignant or spread throughout the rest of the body. However, the neck is a fragile place and you and your veterinarian should discuss the risks involved with each possible type of treatment. The important thing is the animal's well-being and quality of life.
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 A lump in a dog's neck: what can it be?, we recommend that you enter our Skin Problems section.