Lymph node question

[momto8]

Gunner our Boston Terrier started having swollen lymph nodes, they are pretty big and hard middle of last year. Our vet told us to watch and wait could just be a cold ect. So a couple months ago I took him in because they were not going down. So they did bloodwork, his sugar was a little high but nothing else was out of the ordinary. She aspirated them and looked at it on a slide, said she saw nothing bad and thought he could have a bacterial infection. So they put him on antibiotics for a few weeks, it did nothing. She told us she wanted us to wait a bit longer and see if they continue to grow and if so do a biopsy and have it sent in to the lab. She seems to think that this is NOT cancer..I dont know what to think at this point. What else could it be? He is acting just as he always does, happy goofy boy. The only lymph nodes affected are the ones under his jaw.

[momto8]

And to add, he just turned 3 a couple weeks ago. And we tested for tick borne diseases along with another HW test all came back negative

[sassafras]

How are his teeth? Sometimes bad dental disease can cause just the lymph nodes under the jaw to become reactive.

[Saeleofu]

I'd also look for something in the teeth/mouth/head area.

Honestly, if he's had this going on for 6 month and isn't almost dead, it's probably NOT lymphoma. Lymphoma progresses very, very quickly without treatment - we're talking days to weeks, not months. The fact that those are the only ones affected make cancer less likely, too.

VIBES you figure out what it is, and it's easy to fix!

[momto8]

His teeth are actually great! That was something we first checked as well. Should I be concerned with the fact that his sugar was high? He as no other signs that would make me think diabetic problems, but it came off weird that, that would be the only thing off on the bloodwork.
Thank you for the vibes!

[Saeleofu]

How high was it? It would be worth retesting to see if it's still high. I don't know that it would have anything to do with him lymph nodes, though.

[Sparrow]

The only thing I can think of is some sort of systemic infection, but that should show up in the bloodwork. Maybe he just has big nodes? Do they seem sore?

[momto8]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

The only thing I can think of is some sort of systemic infection, but that should show up in the bloodwork. Maybe he just has big nodes? Do they seem sore?

No they don't seem sore. He didn't even have an issue with her aspirating them. Would an antibiotic clear up a systematic infection?

I am thinking we may just go ahead and do the biopsy, not sure yet, vet is supposed to call me back this week.

[Sparrow]

The vet would need to know what the specific infection is in order to appropriately prescribe the right type of antibiotic. I'd go ahead with a biopsy, but at least it doesn't sound like cancer.

[spiffy]

Basically, swollen lymph nodes are signs that the dog's body is fighting bacteria or virus intrusion. It is not uncommon for dog owners to worry about the dog's condition as swollen lymph nodes can be a symptom of lymphoma. However, I should not worry too much about the swelling of Gunner's submandibular external lymph glands since blood work and fine needle aspiration have not pointed to a more serious condition. The swollen lymph node is an indication that the dog have some issues in the head region like salivary gland or sinus infection. It is also possible that Gunner has an abscessed tooth. Sending lots of vibes Gunner's way.