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Salivary Cysts | Chin and Neck Lumps in Dogs

Salivary Cysts | Chin and Neck Lumps in Dogs

Salivary mucocele

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Updated on September 26, 2024
SUMMARY OF CONTENT
Salivary cysts are due to saliva leaking into the tissues surrounding the salivary glands, causing a large, firm swelling below the jaw of the dog.
SEVERITY:
Moderate
  • Time to Cure
    Resolves after surgery
  • Treatment Icon
    Treatable by a veterinarian
  • Prevention Icon
    No known prevention
  • Spread Icon
    Transmission is not possible between animals and not possible between animals and people
  • Lab Icon
    Diagnosis requires physical examination and may include diagnostics such as fine needle aspirate, biopsy, x-rays, or CT scan
Salivary cysts can occur in any breed of dog at any age.

Symptoms & Signs

In an affected animal, pet owners will notice salivary cysts in either of two places. Typically, a large pocket of saliva will form under the jaw at the base of the neck. It will initially be on the same side as the injured duct, but after a brief period, the cyst can become so large that it fills the entire area below the jaw. It feels like a thick-walled balloon filled with honey. The animal is able to breathe, eat, and drink in a normal fashion. Swallowing rarely seems to be impaired. The other area where cysts are found is within the mouth, under the tongue. They are referred to as a 'ranula' in this location. These cysts often will cause problems with eating and drinking. They may limit normal movement of the tongue during drinking or get in the way when food is being chewed.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will begin with a physical examination of your dog. They will need to check for other causes of swelling in this area, which can include enlarged lymph nodes, tumors and abscesses. Your veterinarian will feel the enlarged area and take a sample with a needle to look at the cells under the microscope. This is called a fine needle aspirate. Based on the type of cells present, your veterinarian can likely determine what is causing the enlargement. If the cells are not clear, your veterinarian may recommend a biopsy, where a larger section of tissue is taken and sent to a lab. This may be done with full anesthesia or just sedation. This test is called a histopathology and can often confirm what is causing the enlargement. Your veterinarian may also recommend imaging, such as x-ray or CT scan to see how far the cysts extend so they can plan a surgical approach.

Causation

The salivary glands, as their name implies, are responsible for the production of saliva. Several sets of them lie in the tissue area beneath the skin in the upper and lower jaw. Saliva production goes on constantly. It continuously makes its way into the mouth through small ducts that originate within the salivary glands and course under the skin, opening directly into the oral cavity. The purpose of saliva is to lubricate the mouth, moisten the food, and begin the digestive process.  Salivary cysts occur when saliva leaks from the salivary ducts into the tissues near or within the mouth. This may be caused simply by trauma to the ducts. In some instances, the duct may have been broken or  bruised with the resultant swelling closing off the duct. In other cases, an abscess or tumor in the area may put enough outside pressure on the duct to pinch it off as you might a garden hose. Finally, there are instances when the glands, because of an internal inflammatory process, release a fluid that is just too thick to make its way through the tiny ducts. This again leads to an obstruction. All of these cases have the same final result. Whether the duct was originally ruptured or not, the pressure of continued saliva production by the glands will finally cause the walls of these tiny tubes to break and allow saliva to leak into the surrounding tissue. A small amount of a fluid leaking into tissue rarely, if ever, causes a problem and will usually go unnoticed. Saliva leaking into the tissues almost always develops into a major problem because the fluid is produced constantly and in large quantities. Additionally, possibly because of the viscosity, the body has a difficult time reabsorbing it. It simply continues to build and forms large cysts.

Treatments

icon AT-HOME CARE
After surgery, your dog will need to wear an Elizabethan collar (cone) to prevent scratching of the incision.
icon SUPPORTIVE CARE
Your veterinarian will provide specific guidance to your pet which may consist of cold and warm pack application 2 to 3 minutes at a time several times throughout the day which may help with inflammation associated with the swelling.
icon MEDICATIONS
When dealing with a salivary cyst, medical therapy alone is rarely successful. There are isolated instances in which a local infection or inflammation can be eliminated with medication. If the salivary duct flow has only been restricted, all may return to normal. Once the salivary duct has ruptured, however, the leakage will continue and surgical correction is generally necessary as they are not known to heal on their own. After surgery, your pet will be sent home with pain medication to ease their pain while they heal from surgery. Common post-surgical pain medications include Rimadyl, gabapentin, and tramadol.
icon DEVICES
None
icon SURGERY
Surgery is generally required in cases where saliva is leaking into the surrounding tissues. In those animals with a large, fluid-filled cyst below the jaw, the salivary glands on the affected side are completely removed in some cases. Usually this means removing all of the mandibular and sublingual glands on one side. Although this may seem extreme, the remaining glands respond to the increased need and adjust their production to compensate for those removed. First, the cyst is opened, and the fluid is drained; then excess tissue is removed and the skin is closed. A second incision is then made over the main body of glands and they are removed along with a portion of the duct. This is easier said than done because of the many nerves and major blood vessels in this area. In cases involving a ranula, the surgery is much simpler. The ranula is opened and its walls are basically turned inside out and sutured down to the lining of the mouth. This creates an everted pouch that slowly heals, forming a new opening for the salivary duct. The salivary glands themselves are not affected in the surgical correction of a ranula.
icon SPECIALISTS
Veterinary surgeons may be consulted to perform the surgery.

Cost Of Treatment

The cost of surgical treatment will vary widely based on location and level of expertise. At some clinics this may cost as much as $1000 or more depending on the size and location of the salivary mucocele.

Recovery

Most dogs recover well after surgery.

Monitoring

Your veterinarian will want to remove any sutures 10 to 14 days after surgery, and usually a full recheck exam is performed at this time.

Prevention

There is no known prevention for this condition.

Questions about Salivary Cysts | Chin and Neck Lumps

My dog I heated uses tampon is it an emergency

Unfortunately I'm having a little trouble understand your question as I'm not sure what you mean by "My dog I heated uses tampons..." I'm wondering if Bella ate a tampon or if you wanted to use one on her while she is in heat. I will answer both to be safe. If she ate a tampon, then yes this is a medical emergency and she has to see a vet now. Tampons can easily cause obstructions in the GI tract, especially since they are absorbent and can get large in the stomach from liquid in there. if Bella ate a tampon, you need to take her into a vet immediately to get it removed. If she is on heat, no you cannot use a tampon to control her bleeding. It's not safe to use at all, and are not meant for dogs. You can put a diaper on her to catch any bloody discharge. There are dog specific diapers online and at pets stores, or you can use one made of a human child. Just cut a hole in it for her tail. Hopefully this answers your question. If it doesn't, I'm sorry and ask you post again in the forum for free to it can get answered!

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My dog has an ear infection

Sorry to hear Marley isn't doing so well with his ears. It is not possible to tell from tge picture tve exact nature of the irritation but if it is indeed infected (typically red, hot, painful and smelly), he will need prescription medication from his regular vet. In the meantime I recommend gently cleaning tge outer war with cotton wool and a pet safe ear cleaner to reduce the build up of wax/discharge

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My dog vomited a pinkish colour. Does this look like blood vomit? She doesn’t have diarrhoea or anything else. Yesterday i fed her plain chicken with rice.

That is very red vomit, however, this color could be linked to a number of things including blood in the vomit, inflammation of the GI tract, having chewed on a toy this color, eaten a food item this color, or gotten into a plant or other item this color. If the vomiting continues, worsens, or other symptoms appear such as a painful or bloated abdomen, diarrhea or blood in the stool, or severe distress, I would schedule a veterinary appointment right away to rule out more severe issues. In the meantime I would continue the bland diet for 24 hours, and monitor for any additional vomiting or illness symptoms.

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My dog developed a red hairless bloody mass on her skull overnight. I don’t think she bumped her head on anything.

Poor Marley! Unfortunately there are a number of possible reasons for these raised nodules and a picture cannot diagnose the underlying cause. Itis not possible to distinguish between a wound from a bug bite, cyst, benign histiocytoma or even a tumour without a physical exam and possible testing by an aspirate taken by a needle during the exam or even removal and biopsy. I recommend you follow up with your regular vet, especially if it increases in size, is painful or persists.

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Hi my 5 year old dog has this on her nose ( saw it 4 days ago) and getting bigger. What could it be and is there anything I can do? Thank you.

Ouch! Any new or suddenly growing growth like this should be checked out by your vet in person ASAP. Allergies, infections, skin irritation from rubbing it on things, and some growths and tumors can all cause spots like that on the nose, and can also cause rapid changes and discoloration like this. Until you can get to your vet, I would place an Elizabethan (cone) collar on Amber and keep the spot clean and dry to help reduce any further irritation. It is also a good idea to monitor the size and shape of it and how rapidly it is changing as this can help your vet figure out what may be going on. Your vet will likely take a full history as well as a potential sample of the spot to see what cells are present and provide treatment as needed.

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My dogs are experiencing a bad flea outbreak. We used a generic for Frontline (fipronil) two weeks ago, with no results. I have purchased a generic for Advantix II (Imidacloprid, Permethrin, and Pyriproxyfen) and am wondering if I need to wait the full 4 weeks to use this, or if I can treat with the second medication now.

In severe outbreaks, 2 weeks between different drugs is ok. You will also need to use a household flea treatment in order to break the cycle, only 5% of the flea population are adults and actually present on pets, tge remaining 95% are eggs/large and will continue to hatch, develop and reinvest your pets. All in contact animals should be treated together and also given a tapeworm treatment because tapeworms are also transmitted by fleas

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Disclaimer

The information contained on this page is for educational purposes only. This medication should only be given under the advice of a veterinarian who has examined your pet under the laws applicable to your state of residence.