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My GSD has a neck lump after a dog bite. Is it serious or an abscess?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Male | 1 year and 6 months old

Have a gsd. Has a lump right side of neck below jaw inline with his ears. Size of a egg. A couple of weeks ago another gsd attacked him a pinned him on his neck. I thought it was just Swallown were the dog grabbed him but it's still there. ?? It doesn't bother him when feeling it. He's 18months old german shepherd long coat

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jacqueline Nobles, DVM, DACVECC

Veterinarian, Board-Certified Emergency/Critical Care Specialist

Published on December 28th, 2016

A lump is that area could be an enlarged lymph node, cyst, abscess, or potentially even a foreign object. Try looking under his tongue for any foreign objects and follow up with your veterinarian tomorrow. Best case scenario is an abscess.

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on

    I agree that this lump is concerning, especially if it's been there for a few weeks. It could be an abscess due to a puncture wound from the dog bite, an enlarged lymph node which could be caused by cancer or a systemic infection of some kind, or some other type of mass or tumor. I would definitely recommend having this checked by a vet as soon as you can - he/she can do a simple test called a fine needle aspirate to find out for sure what it is, and see what needs to be done to treat it.

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