# Is there any other diagnosis other than lymphoma?



## LolaMishka (Nov 30, 2009)

Hi everyone, I'm a new poster and joined because I'm trying to get more information about what my gorgeous girl might be suffering from so would appreciate any help that anyone can give me.

I noticed yesterday afternoon that my 5 year old cross breed, Lola, has one enlarged lymph node on her neck. She also felt a little hot and was maybe a bit lethargic but I couldn't tell for certain.

I took her to the vet this morning and he said it was mainly just one lymph node but a couple of others (on the same side) were slightly swollen. He took a blood test and her white blood cell count was normal which is apparently good but inconclusive. He's put her on antibiotics for a week and I have to take her back next week to see if the swelling has gone down. If not then he'll have to biopsy the lymph node. 

I know that it's only just come up because she was at the vet two weeks ago when she picked up a tummy bug and was vomiting and they felt her lymph glands then.

I feel so worried that it's lymphoma that I'm making myself ill. Is there any chance at all that it could be something else? Any comments would be appreciated as I'm feeling so down at the moment


----------



## katiefranke (Oct 6, 2008)

Hi there, I know it is difficult, but try not to worry just yet... If you say she had a tummy bug recently and wasn't very well then they could be swollen due to an infection, which is why your vet has given you antibiotics... a bit like in humans when I get a sore throat, the glands in my thoat swell, i think it is similar.

I found this info on a site I use quite a bit:
When an infection occurs, often the lymph nodes in the area adjacent to the infection become enlarged and inflamed. For instance, if a dog has a sore throat from an infection with Streptococcus bacteria, then commonly the lymph node closest to the infection will be enlarged.

Lymphadenitis, Lymphadenopathy & Swollen Lymph Nodes in Dogs

Hope that helps to put your mind at rest a bit and fingers crossed the swelling goes down in response to the anti-biotics!

edit: sorry forgot to say, welcome to the forum!! ...and keep us posted on how she is getting on...


----------



## dinks (Apr 10, 2009)

LolaMishka said:


> Hi everyone, I'm a new poster and joined because I'm trying to get more information about what my gorgeous girl might be suffering from so would appreciate any help that anyone can give me.
> 
> I noticed yesterday afternoon that my 5 year old cross breed, Lola, has one enlarged lymph node on her neck. She also felt a little hot and was maybe a bit lethargic but I couldn't tell for certain.
> 
> ...


Hiya
Sorry to hear your boys isnt feeling great.Please try not to worry at the moment.I know easier said than done but i have been there worn the t - shirt and still wearing it!
Dogs lymph nodes can become enlarged for a variety of reasons -which lymph nodes are enlarged?The lymph nodes will become enlarged at the nearest site of infection if there is one.The fact it is not all of the peripheral nodes that are enlarged may be a positive sign - when my boy was diagnosed his were all hugely enlarged.They were massive!There is a high chance it could be something else dogs lymph nodes dont go up just with lymphoma - but at the same time its not impossible.If they are still enlarged and sometimes they will go down with antibiotics and then come back up again - your vet should be taking fine needle aspirates and also biopsies from the lymph nodes as well as sending a haematology sample off as well.Is your boy insured?I referred my boy to the vet school as he was a complicated case and took us ages to get a diagnosis for him- not because my GP vet did anything wrong but because of the stage his disease was at his samples kept coming back as being reactive and not lymphoma.Anyway enough rambling from me fingers crossed for your boy and please keep us updated.


----------



## LolaMishka (Nov 30, 2009)

Thanks for your help everyone - Dinks I read your posts in the thread about Jaya so it's good to hear that you are positive even though you've been through it. Yes Lola is insured so I'm going to see how she is after a week of antibiotics and take her back to the vet on Monday to get checked over again like they asked and they'll then take a fine needle aspirate and biopsy if the swelling hasn't gone down.

The swollen lymph node is in her neck but just one side - the other side is normal - although the vet said he could feel other slightly enlarged nodes on her body. Her teeth seem fine so a tooth abcess doesn't seem likely but her tonsil on that side is also swollen apparently so I guess she could have some form of streptococcus or tonsillitis in dogs?

Luckily my friend told me to take the dogs round to her house tonight and force fed me cheese on toast and a cup of tea then a glass of wine so at least I don't have a migraine from worrying anymore! Not thinking about it at the moment but think I will be in the pits of depression when I go back to work tomorrow.

Thank you for all your help though, I really appreciate you taking the time to reply :smile5:


----------



## dinks (Apr 10, 2009)

No probs - lol at wine and cheese on toast!Hmmmm - Other possibilities are foreign bodies eg stick injury- does she like to chase sticks - that was my other thought was how were her teeth - but you answered that!Anyway fingers crossed.


----------



## LolaMishka (Nov 30, 2009)

Hi everyone

Lymph node doesn't appear to have gone down yet with the antibiotics  although I think Lola's temperature has gone down at least.

Dinks, which vet school are you taking your lad to? I live in Newcastle and have seen that Edinburgh University vet school set up a specialist pet cancer care centre in the last year or so, so I'm thinking of asking for Lola to be referred there if it comes to the worst.

On a slightly strange but hopeful note, one of my friends at work has a dog that got a very swollen lymph node under one of her front legs when she was about 9 years old. Lymphoma was diagnosed and the lymph node was removed as the vet didn't think she'd do well on chemo because of her age. 5 years later and Muffy the dog is still with us - another tumour appeared on her foot about 15 months after her operation and since then has been joined by several other tumours but she hasn't lost any more weight (the foot tumour caused a little weight loss at first) and she bounds around like a puppy most of the time! So it looks like there's hope yet, even though I think by all accounts Muffy is a bit of a miracle dog


----------



## dinks (Apr 10, 2009)

Hiya
Yes he does go to Edinburgh Vet School - fantastic oncology team - however equally all vet schools will have an oncology department and there may even be a specialist practice near you as well - your vet will probably know more on this area - but before you get to that stage if it even comes to it your own vet would most likely take biopsies form the node and send for histopath to the lab and take things from there.When is your next appointment?
There are many different types of lymphoma and yes they all have different prognosis etc my boys affects his liver/spleen and also his bone marrow but of course all respond different to chemo as well - however at the end of they day they statistics - same with humans- all these statistics and percentages etc.Keep us posted!x


----------



## LolaMishka (Nov 30, 2009)

Hi Dinks

I'm taking Lola to the vet tomorrow morning. She's had her last antibiotic this evening and I must admit the lymph node has reduced to about half the size it was before but it's still definitely swollen. No other lymph nodes appear to have come up in the meantime (definitely not the other side of her neck either) so that's good but I'm still paranoid that it's something serious!

I know there's a pet hospital in Cramlington or somewhere in Northumberland but given that Edinburgh is the nearest vet school (and only 90 mins on a train from Newcastle) I'm guessing that that's our nearest pet oncology department.

Have you seen this article about Scrooble the dog who was a flyball finalist at Crufts after being treated in Edinburgh? I love stories like this 
BBC NEWS | Scotland | Edinburgh, East and Fife | Cancer-beating dog gets VIP tour


----------



## babycham2002 (Oct 18, 2009)

Im glad to hear the lump seems to have halved. Please let us know how you get on.


----------



## LolaMishka (Nov 30, 2009)

Hi everyone - good news! The vet saw Lola and said that her lymph node had reduced enough in size to not warrant any more antibiotics and he laughed at me when I asked if he wanted to take a biopsy just in case 

He said he wouldn't ever suspect Lymphoma with only one lymph node up anyway - he checked all her other lymph nodes (well the ones he might be able to feel anyway) and they were all normal size so we've concluded that maybe she hasn't got lymphoma after all, even though I'd convinced myself of it so much that I kind of don't believe him now.

I think my friend did have a good point though when she said that if antibiotics really had reduced a cancerous tumour then I'd made a massive medical breakthrough, so that also made me feel better. On reflection I think she's had some kind of strep throat - never realised that a dog can even get that!

Another of my friends is an intensive care (human) nurse and she said that even if an infection hasn't caused a swelling, lymph nodes can quite frequently get blocked for no particular reason and then swell up. The vet said this can happen to dogs too.

I think the moral of the story is that there are plenty of things a swollen lymph node could be but even if it is lymphoma it isn't a death sentence like some places on the internet make out. Dinks, I'm sure your boy will be going for many years to come by the sounds of it and I think you should definitely enter him for flyball at Crufts just in case that vet school has a lucky effect at producing champions!

Thank you every one sooooooo much for all your help, I can't tell you how nice it was to speak to like minded people when I felt really upset about everything 

ps Babycham - my Lola looks like a mini version of your dog! I'll have to put up a photo.


----------



## Nellybelly (Jul 20, 2009)

Yay - that is BRILLIANT. Bet you 're so relieved.


----------



## LolaMishka (Nov 30, 2009)

Well at first I didn't really believe it but her lymph node has gone down even more now so it's hardly swollen at all - so I'm much happier now and back to stuffing my face with food (very unlike me to have to be force fed cheese on toast)


----------



## dinks (Apr 10, 2009)

BRILLIANT NEWS!Im so pleased for you both.D dog is doing good - hes very happy lol!


----------

