Head-Shaking and Swollen Lymph Nodes: Murphy’s Indolent T Cell Lymphoma

Sometimes, when you hear hooves, zebras show up.

The most common cause of excessive head-shaking is discomfort in the ears. The causes might include:

• allergies
• foreign bodies
• inflammation
• infections
• parasites
• polyps

Infections, on the other hand, are typically secondary to another problem, such as allergies.

Further reading: Excessive Head Shaking in Dogs

Lymph nodes are part of the lymphatic system; they filter and store immune cells. They can swell in response to inflammation in nearby tissues. An ear infection can lead to a swelling of the nearby lymph node on the affected side.

In other words, swelling of local lymph nodes points to a local issue. However, what if the lymph node swelling isn’t limited to the one corresponding to ear problems?

Further reading: Facial Swelling in Dogs: Why Is My Dog’s Face Swollen?

Murphy’s story

Murphy was a 9-year-old Golden Retriever. As a typical Golden, he was a happy, loving companion.

Murphy’s ears started bothering him, clouding his happiness. Murphy was shaking his head, scratching at his ears, and was apparently unhappy. When his parents checked, Murphy’s ears were smelly and had some discharge in them. It was time to see a veterinarian.

At the veterinarian

The veterinarian examined Murphy and confirmed his parents’ suspicion—Murphy had an ear infection in both ears.

At the same time, however, the veterinarian noticed that Murphy’s lymph nodes were enlarged and not just those near the ears. He prescribed treatment for Murphy’s infection.

However, there were still the unhappy lymph nodes. To see what was going on, the veterinarian checked Murphy’s urine, blood and aspirated a couple of the nodes.

Murphy’s diagnosis

The lab results raised suspicion for small cell lymphoma/leukemia. The veterinarian referred Murphy to an oncologist for further evaluation.

The oncologist confirmed the findings and recommended further testing of the lymph nodes. The results would confirm the diagnosis and provide insights into the best treatment options and prognosis.

The kind of cancer Murphy had is the kind that moves slowly with very few outward signs. In fact, secondary infections are often how the problem is discovered.

The recommended treatment for the kind of lymphoma Murphy had is often regular monitoring and physical examinations.

It was essential, however, to go through all the diagnostics steps to make sure it wasn’t the aggressive kind of lymphoma.

Source story:
Clinical Case Challenge – Head Shaking & Ear Scratching

Related articles:
Why Does My Dog Keep Shaking Their Head?

Further reading: