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My dog has lymphoma, swollen nodes, acts normal. What stage?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Bernese Mountain Dog | Female | 8 years old | 90 lbs

My dog was just diagnosed with lymphoma All of her lymph nodes are swollen She is acting like there is nothing wrong with her. What stage of lymphoma would she be considered to have

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Shaneez Wallani, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 30th, 2017

I'm so sorry you and Fendi are going through this. Please consider a referral to a veterinary oncologist for a consultation to see what options are available for Fendi's treatment. There are chemotherapy protocols for canine lymphoma treatment/management that may be good options for Fendi, but they need to be started asap. Fendi may be acting normal now, but if left untreated, lymphoma in dogs can be fatal in a matter of weeks. The good news is that in dogs where lymphoma is treated with chemotherapy protocols and goes into remission, the dogs usually feel good, and often seem to be back to “normal” while in remission. The oncologist and your regular veterinarian can work with you to find the best plan for you and Fendi based on Fendi’s overall health and response to treatment. Please see the following links for more information and to learn more about staging: https://caninelymphoma.com/ https://caninelymphoma.com/canine-lymphoma-stages/ https://vet.purdue.edu/pcop/canine-lymphoma-research.php

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on

    I'm very sorry for Fendi's diagnosis! Lymphoma is staged from 1 to 5, with 1 being the least severe and 5 being the worst. If Fendi has multiple enlarged lymph nodes in various parts of her body, this would make her at least a Stage 3. She might be a Stage 4 or 5, depending on whether or not any of her internal organs or bone marrow is involved - additional testing would be needed to determine this, including abdominal x-rays and ultrasound, bone marrow aspiration, etc. Dogs with lymphoma are also assigned a "substage" of a or b depending on whether they have any symptoms of illness or not. Since Fendi is acting completely normal, this would likely make her a substage a. So all told, it sounds like she would be Stage 3a, 4a, or 5a depending on the factors discussed above. There are other things that influence the prognosis and possible treatment options for dogs with lymphoma, such as whether her cancer is B-cell or T-cell lymphoma - there are specialized lab tests that can be ordered to check for this. Many dogs with lymphoma do respond well to chemotherapy, so if you're interested in pursuing treatment for Fendi, I would definitely suggest asking your veterinarian for referral to a veterinary oncologist - he/she can evaluate Fendi in person as well as all of her lab results, and will discuss her situation and treatment options with you in more detail.

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