My puppies have throat lumps. Is it contagious? What should I do?

Poor baby! This could be a serious problem like a bacterial infection caused by strep called strangles or just a simple infection. I would strongly recommend to have your vet take a look at him soon before it gets worse. This can be easily treated if caught early. I hope this helps!

It sounds as though your vet initially suspected an infection causing the swelling around Lexi's neck. There can be some very minimal fluctuation in the prominence of the salivary glands and lymph nodes that are located under the neck, which can certainly occur with infections. However, other conditions can also cause swelling in these areas. Puppy strangles (also called juvenile cellulitis) is an autoimmune condition that can cause some pretty prominent swellings around the neck. Given Lexi's age, this would be my first suspicion. Other issues, including lymphoma or a salivary mucocele, are always possible, although they'd be highly unlikely in such a young puppy. At this point, I think your next step is to take Lexi back to her vet for a follow up visit. Your vet will likely want to run some diagnostic testing on this swelling or even some baseline blood work to check her blood cell counts and organ function. Depending on their findings, they may prescribe steroids to help treat puppy strangles or another medication to treat a different condition. I hope that everything goes well!

There isn’t a test for it. We diagnose based on clinical signs, such as swollen lymphnodes, very inflamed ears, and usually facial skin inflammation as well. However, sometimes we will perform blood work to make sure nothing else appears to be going on. Dogs usually start to feel better once the steroids are started. Good luck and I hope Brownie improves soon!

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. These bump are pustules, so yes, sort of like acne but it is really inflammation of the hair follicles. It can be the beginning of puppy strangles so still continue to look out for that. You have two options: 1. Do nothing and just monitor them and let their immune systems take care of it as long as they are otherwise fine. OR 2. You can use these medicated pads once daily on the affected areas until the issue is resolved. ( https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/223965_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=146660&auto=true ) Sometimes these get very infected and inflamed, in which case, you will need to take them to the vet as oral antibiotics will be needed. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

I accidentally posted that answer before I was done. Puppy strangles is a rare condition where the body seems to attack its own skin. Your veterinarian will likely do skin tests to rule out more common causes of skin disease first (mites and ringworm for example). The sooner he is diagnosed, he can begin treatment if necessary. I hope this information helps!

This is Papillomavirus. This is more common in young dogs and the majority of the time you just have to let the virus work itself out of the system. If they start getting really bad we can try to treat. I wouldn't be too concerned about your older dogs especially if you were just playing with the puppy. It is very contagious but when dogs have a good immune system it is harder to get the virus, although not impossible. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

I would not expect swollen lymph nodes secondary to teething. Infections, including a bacterial infection commonly known as 'puppy strangles' can cause enlarged lymph nodes. The salivary glands are also in this same area and it is possible that he has inflamed salivary glands as well. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian for a physical examination to confirm that the lymph nodes are actually swollen. If the lymph nodes are swollen they might recommend a fine needle aspirate which is a procedure that uses a small needle to obtain cells that are sent to a pathologist for review.