My 16 week boston terrier puppy has swelling on both sides of her neck. Vet said could be from teething and gave her an antibiotic 2 weeks a week and a half ago. They have shrunk some but are not gone. What should we do now?

Updated On March 29th, 2022

Pet's info: Dog | Boston Terrier | Female | unspayed | 3 months and 22 days old | 6 lbs

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

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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!

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