Lymphadenopathy means enlarged or otherwise abnormal lymph nodes. It is a physical examination finding, not a diagnosis: the cause ranges from a harmless reaction to a skin infection, through tick-borne and fungal disease, to lymphoma. In dogs, the question the NAVLE keeps asking is simple: which node do you aspirate, what does the cytology mean, and what must you not do (give steroids) before you have an answer?
Key facts
Lymphadenopathy at a glance- Species: dog.
- System: hemic and lymphatic.
- Four basic causes: reactive hyperplasia, lymphadenitis (inflammation or infection in the node), lymphoma, and metastatic neoplasia.
- Classic presentation: a middle-aged dog that feels well, with firm, painless, symmetrically enlarged peripheral nodes: think multicentric lymphoma.
- Key first test: fine-needle aspiration (FNA) and cytology of an enlarged prescapular or popliteal node.
- Pattern matters: one node or one region suggests a local problem in the area it drains; generalized enlargement suggests systemic disease.
- Zoonotic or reportable: lymphadenopathy itself is neither, but some causes are zoonotic (Leishmania infantum; Ehrlichia chaffeensis and E. ewingii via ticks) or carry a needle-stick risk (Blastomyces).
What's inside
13 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Major causes in more detail
- Differential diagnoses
- Treatment and management
- Prevention, control and public health
- Prognosis
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 9 tables, 3 figures, 3 self-test questions and 17 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.