location of lymph nodes in dogs (shih tzu, allergic, tumors, bite)

[barndog]

Can anyone tell me exactly where the lymph nodes are located that are near the front arms?

Are they directly under the arms in the armpit?

Could they be about an inch behind the arm and about an inch above the armpit?

Would you describe them as located somewhere else?

I have found charts online, but I can't get an exact fix on where these nodes are located.

Any help appreciated.

[riveree]

There are lymph nodes under the armpits. Reach under the armpit as if you're going to give the dog an "armpit" massage and if you feel a lump there, that's a possible sign of a swollen lymph node.

The lymph nodes can swell for a variety of reasons, but ideally, you don't want them swollen at all. If they are swollen for more than a few days, it might be prudent to take a trip to the vet, especially if it's been a while since the dog's last checkup.

[barndog]

oh thank you riveree!

here's something odd. i took my shih tzu to the vet yesterday because he has this odd lump just behind and below his arm and i was really scared it might be a lymph node. hence, my question for the board.

vet says no, though, just a fatty tumor. but also he said there was no lymph node under the arm.

but i am SURE that you are right, there definitely is one! so we're going to a different vet.

[Amazonchix]

The fatty tumor is called a lypoma. A friend of ours, her dog has one. Humans can get them too. I have one on my outter shoulder. Don't know what caused it...but I will get it removed in a few months.

If you can afford to, and it provides a piece of mind...than I don't see anything wrong with a second opinion.

[riveree]

......and they can come and go .

So a lymph node can be swollen for a while, then the swelling can go down.

But yes, it could be a fatty tumor too - they can appear anywhere on the body.

One of my dogs had swelling under his armpit for years, but it was closely watched and the swelling was stable. When he developed cancer and we had to put him under to try and remove the cancer, I asked my vet to look at the lump. My vet ended up draining the lump and it stayed "normal" for a month or so before it appeared again. At that point, the cancer was strong and we were towards the end .

So I think it's important to keep an eye on whatever it is, but know that dogs can live with lumps and they don't necessarily have to be indicators of anything worse, as Amazonchix explained.

[barndog]

it does make perfect sense to me that the lump could be just a fatty tumor (and thanks, amazonchix for giving me the technical name for it!), but...

i guess here's what i don't get...how does one know that's what the lump is just from touching it? for instance, i understand with lymph nodes that swelling can go up and down from just common infections. and then, of course, you want to be careful that it's not cancer if those nodes are swollen.

but when you eliminate the possibility that the lump is a lymph node, how can someone possibly tell just from touching the lump that it's a fatty tumor versus something more serious?

the vet did explain that humans, too, could have these...but again, how would a human doctor know just from touching?

this dog is going to be the death of me. i love him like a human child, but man is he wearing me out with the heart problem and the arthritis and the rocky mountain spotted fever and the disc problems in his back and the countless other unexpected issues we've had. i never knew when i got a puppy he'd end up breaking my heart in the end.

ah, well, as long as he keeps kicking...can't imagine my life without him.

thanks, everyone, for the good advice.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by barndog

but when you eliminate the possibility that the lump is a lymph node, how can someone possibly tell just from touching the lump that it's a fatty tumor versus something more serious?

the vet did explain that humans, too, could have these...but again, how would a human doctor know just from touching?

I don't remember the details of what he said, but my vet has always explained what he was feeling when he would touch a lump - it seems to be a combination of exact location, softness or firmness, and probably some other factors. The vet can also insert a needle and take a sample out/drain it if appropriate.

If your vet is really concerned, he/she might offer to take the lump out and have a biopsy done (we did this not long ago with one of my other dogs- she had a lump over her eye - a contusion that had become infected).

I would not let it worry you too much, just have the vet look at it.

[goodbyehollywood]

My senior dog has had multiple fatty tumors for several years now. The vet does a needle aspiration (painless and costs about $40-$50) and they've all been lipomas. He recommends leaving them alone, unless they start causing the dog pain. One of the lipomas is in my dog's "armpit" and it has grown to the size of a golf ball over the past 3-4 years. It's starting to become uncomfortable for him, so we're going to have to have it removed. I dread it, but the vet assures us it's a simple procedure with relatively low risk. Still, our baby is going on 11... Good luck with your dog!

[sandswaller]

I have a 12 yr Old Shih Tzu, last Oct vet visit because he was pulling out fur and had hot spots?? There was no sign of a bite etc, treated this as an allergic reaction.
We shaved him down treated him within 12 hours he was his old self.

Krammer starts with cough when running and playing, ???? Eating drinking just fine....Mentioned it to vets when it was time for yearly needles, we do nothing keep on an eye it.

Sept 01 /09 - Notice more coughing and difficulty breathing and very tired. Coughing woke me up at 6am .... off to the vets. He is weak would not climb 4 small steps, would not eat, very very tired.

Vet discovers huge mass under jaw - draws from the mass no puss just blood?? He has very high fever / tender on spine enough that he yelps when the area is pressed. Krammer has lost 6lbs no new diet nothing ??

I have started 2 weeks of antibiotics and Metac for inflammation and pain.
Krammer has not moved from chair in 8 hours, he ususally bolts for the door this time he only lifted his head. ( Our Groomer never noticed any swelling 2 weeks ago when he went for his spa day) These changes are recent, I hope last October was not the onset, did I missed of something more serious. Krammer has been to the Vet for illness 2 times in his entire life, he goes for yearly needles including the Lymes booster.

He is suffering, is there something I can I ask the Vet to do NOW to rule out cancer. Thank you Sad In Ontario

[barndog]

sand -- oh, no! you do sound so sad! and i am sorry to hear that kramer is not feeling well.

first i understand so well why you are second-guessing and looking back trying to find the answer. i have done that many times myself with barnaby. but going over what you've posted here, it doesn't sound like you've missed anything. you took care of the problem last october with the hot spots, and he acted perfectly normal again.

now the cough when running and playing... that could be at least a couple of different things. i'm no vet, but based on my experiences with barnaby alone, that could be indicative of a heart condition or kennel cough...

if the vet suspected a heart condition, he/she should have listened for a heart murmur, done an echocardiogram, something like that. as for kennel cough, sometimes vets will let that self-heal; it seems like with most of the cases i know about they prescribe an antibiotic.

BUT... those are just two things i think of. i'm sure there are others that would cause coughing during playing.

as for the sept 1, 09 episode, that sounds like a continuation of what you saw with the play... but then you said that's when the vet found the mass filled with blood. and that kramer had a high fever, was tender in the spine area, and had lost six pounds. he's a shih tzu, right? they can't afford to lose six pounds, even the big ones.

i'm going to be honest with you. i don't think you missed anything from last october... but i do think time is of the essence right now. two weeks of antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory/pain med don't sound aggressive enough to me. do you have a good veterinary specialist near you? (too bad you're not in nc... i know an excellent one!) what about another vet who could give you a second opinion?

also, i know that vets can do fine needle aspirations (basically biopsies), but i think that checks only one area. for example, barnaby had a fine need aspiration of his stomach when he was sick once b/c the vet spec thought he had cancer... thank god he did not!

maybe another poster will know more about cancer and the diagnostic tests that are done for that illness?

(oh, and if you don't get other answers here in this thread, you might want to start a new thread explaining your situation... people might not open this one since it's an old one they've seen before under my name.)

good luck!