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Lump on dog's neck.

Species: Dog
Breed: Mixed Staffordshire
Age: 2-5 years
Hi Dr Marie

We have a 4 year old female mixed breed dog. Two years ago she had a stick that went into her mouth. Since then she has always had a small lump under her throat which has never caused her pain.

However in the last week the lump has grown to the size of a small tennis ball. The dog is in no pain and is acting normally, is eating healthy and exercising daily.

She sleeps normal, drinks water, and we cannot notice any significant physical changes.

The lump is concerning and you can see from the image here

lump on dog

And a three second video here



Unfortunately the vet service here is Sweden is somewhat shocking and we are unlikely to get our dog into a vets this week due to public holidays and also horses seem to take precedence over dogs in our area.

I am thinking that as our dog is not in too much pain it could be Lipoma? Any advice would be greatly beneficial as were really in a fix!

Thanks

Dean


Online vet, Dr. Marie

Dr. Marie replied:

Thank you for providing the picture and video. This makes questions so much easier to answer!

Keep in mind that I can't give you an official diagnosis over the internet, but I can definitely give you my thoughts.

I think there is a good possibility that this is an abscess. It is a really common area to see an abscess on a dog. It may be related to the stick incident, or it may be from something else such as a bite or a wound. Often we don't know why they are there.

You would think an abscess would be painful, but they aren't always.

A lipoma is possible, but this is not a normal spot to see a lipoma.

This doesn't look like a situation where you need to rush in to the vet right away. But, if it's possible to have him seen this week this would be good.

Your vet will likely put a needle into the lump and see what is inside. An abscess should be filled with pus.

If it is an abscess, then your vet will prescribe some antibiotics. Sometimes this does the trick. However, often when an animal has an abscess they will not fully heal it unless the abscess is opened up and flushed out. This is probably a good idea to do, especially considering that there has been a lump there ever since she had a stick in her mouth. It's possible that there is a small piece of wood in the middle of that abscess.

If this abscess is opened it's something that will need to be done under a general anesthetic.

I hope she is ok!

Dr. Marie.


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Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.

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Dr. MarieDr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.

Is an online vet visit just as good as a trip to your veterinarian? No! But, many times, asking an online veterinarian a question can help save you money. While Dr. Marie can't officially diagnose your pet or prescribe medications, she can often advise you on whether a vet visit is necessary. You can also ask Dr. Marie for a second opinion on your pet's condition.