My dog has growing lumps on his neck. Should I worry about cancer?

Question

Hello, recently I discovered two distinct nodules on the anterior base of my 4 year old pit mix. It almost feels like a thyroid enlargement (I am a retired nursing instructor) but all of my anatomy experience involves only humans. Yesterday while playing with him I noticed they were almost twice the size they were when I originally noticed them about a month ago. He was neutered at 4 months old. I cannot get cancer out of my mind. We live on Long Island, NY. Please help, Thank you, Maureen. Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Large (61lb +) | Male | neutered | 4 years and 1 month old | 110 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Poor Ralphie! I can definitely understand your concerns. Without being able to examine him, it's hard to say for sure what these nodules might be. One possibility is certainly a thyroid tumor - dogs can sometimes get thyroid carcinomas, which can be palpated on the ventral neck in some cases. The other possibility that comes to mind from your description is that he may have enlarged prescapular or submandibular lymph nodes, depending on exactly where the nodules are that you're feeling. I agree that this is worrying, so I would definitely try and get Ralphie in to see the vet as soon as you are able to. He/she can do a simple test called a fine needle aspirate, which involves using a small needle to remove some cells from the nodules for analysis. This should help to determine what these nodules are, and help dictate a treatment plan from there if needed.

My dog has growing lumps on his neck. Should I worry about cancer?

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