![]() For example, if your dog has a wound on its leg the inguinal lymph nodes may be enlarged as they destroy any bacteria that have entered the wound. Lymph nodes can be enlarged for this reason even if your dog does not appear sick. The lymph nodes usually return to their normal size once their job is done and the problem has been removed. The general term for this is reactive lymphadenopathy, or lymphadenitis if it is caused by a microbial infection. This results in the lymph nodes growing in size. When there are a lot of infected or damaged cells present, more immune cells journey to the lymph nodes to help destroy the problem. ![]() As we explained above, our lymph nodes are responsible for removing infection and damaged cells from fluid drained from the blood. This is probably the most common cause of lymph node enlargement. There are many reasons why your dog may have lymphadenopathy. Lymphadenopathy can cause other lymph nodes that are normally too small to feel, to be felt. Lymph node enlargement is called lymphadenopathy. They shouldn’t be hot or painful to touch. They should feel fairly round, uniform in shape and semi-hard. The size of these vary depending on the individual dog, their breed, and which node we’re feeling, but typically range from almost impossible to feel to around the size of a small grape in healthy dogs. Popliteal lymph nodes: found at the back of your dog’s knees/stifles. ![]() Inguinal lymph nodes: found in your dog’s groin.Axillary lymph nodes: found in your dog’s armpits.Prescapular/superficial cervical lymph nodes: found in front of your dog’s scapula/shoulder blade.These are the ones we can sometimes feel under our necks when we are sick. Submandibular lymph nodes: found under your dog’s jaw, though can easily be confused with the larger salivary glands that produce saliva.In a healthy dog, you can often feel the following (on both sides of your dog): For example, excess fluid from our legs is filtered by inguinal lymph nodes at the top of our legs.Īll over! There are multiple collections of lymph nodes in your dog but there tend to only be a few we can feel from the outside. Each part of the body is served by different lymph glands. This way our body can prevent dangerous infections or diseases from spreading round the body. These collections of tissue contain immune cells that filter lymph fluid for bacteria and viruses, damaged body cells and cancerous cells, before it drains back into the blood. At regular intervals along lymphatic vessels there are lymph nodes. More relevant to today, the lymphatic system is also an important part of the immune system. This is important to move nutrients into the tissue but the excess liquid must be removed afterwards – the fluid drains into vessels of the lymphatic system which carry it back into the heart to re-enter the blood. The lymphatic system is a collection of vessels and organs that has roles as part of the circulatory system and immune system.Īs part of the circulatory system: when blood moves around the body, some of the fluid ‘leaks’ out into nearby tissue. Lymph nodes, or lymph glands, are part of the lymphatic system found in humans, dogs and other animals. How Do I Know Why My Dog’s Lymph Nodes Are Enlarged?.Reactive Lymphadenopathy/Lymphadenitis:.
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