Anybody know anything about swollen lymph nodes?

I am hoping someone can help me - my cat Saffy has very swollen lymph nodes under her jaw and behind her ear. The vet has given her antibiotics and has done some blood tests for Feline Aids and Leukemia and has done a needle aspiration test for cancer - they have all come back negative. The swelling goes up and down and it seems a bit uncomfortable for her when I feel the lumps.

She is otherwise fine eating well and sleeping a lot which is normal for her. She is 10 and the next step is to have a biopsy done on some of the nodes and an ultra sound and xrays of her organs to make sure nothing is going on there. She gets incredibly stressed going to the vet. Its been a few months now without any change - the swelling seems to go up and down but never completely away.

Has anyone else experienced this with their kitties?  I am so worried about her sometimes it feels like there are two lumps one behind her ear and one under her jaw I guess it could be her salivary glands also affected?

I am saving to pay for the next step the first tests were $800 and I have five kitties so $ can be pretty tight. I am keen to hear anyone elses experiences.

Yep, with 8 kitties, most of them seniors, one a cancer survivor (and yes, we did chemo), we're familiar with the cost of care. :heart2:

First of all, if you'll be having an abdominal ultrasound, I'm not sure why bother with the x-rays. When Lazlo was diagnosed, x-ray saw a large mass, and then we progressed to the ultrasound, where to the radiologist, it looked like large cell lymphoma. So if you already know you'll be doing an ultrasound to look at some lymph nodes, I'm not sure why the added expense of the x-ray(s). :dk: Have you had the conversation with your vet about the need to manage the cost of diagnostics?

Have you thought about getting a second vet opinion? Have different antibiotics been tried? Has your vet consulted with any veterinary specialists? That's what one of our vets does when one of our cats has something "interesting" and doesn't respond to the treatments tried.

Many vibes for you and Saffy. Please keep us posted. :heart2:

bellacat, I hope this information will be helpful to you:

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/cancer/c_ct_lymphadenopathy#.UdMAXIjD_hl

There are a lot of possible underlying causes to be checked for, so please, print out the article, take it with you and have your vet check for anything that hasn't been considered yet. 

Allergy (even to foods) can be a major cause of swollen lymph nodes in animals and in humans.   

Most cats hate going to the vet.  (And some dogs - oh my God....)  But it is vitally important that we take them anyway. In one of her books feline behaviorist Pam Johnson Bennett has some good suggestions regarding how to make these trips more pleasant..  I think it's in Think Like a Cat 

Either there, or in Twisted Whiskers.

(All her books are available at amazon.com)

I'm praying that whatever is causing the swollen lymph nodes will turn out to be a treatable problem and not anything malignant.  (From my experiences, if this is an infection, your vet should do a sensitivity test in addition to testing for the organism causing it, to find the most effective antibiotic to treat it.  Some antibiotics can be totally ineffective trying to treat certain infections.) 

PS

still wondering..... so I'd like to ask you, have possible dental problems been ruled out by a very thorough oral exam?  (Dental problems causing infection can also lead to swollen lymph nodes.) 

Thank you so much for all the great advice! I will definitely make sure I talk to my vet about all those things and will ask about the necessity of the xrays I have just changed Saffy's diet to see if that will help she is on all wet food without any grains or fillers for the last three weeks. I do take her to the vet on a regular basis if she seems unwell she just gets so scared in the car she poops in her cage on the way and is also prone to urinary tract infections which can be brought on by stress and she will usually get one of those after going to the vet which means going back for antibiotics and dealing with that for a couple of weeks as well!  I am in New Zealand so I am not sure what specialist vets there are available but I will try and find out. She does seem to be doing better at the moment the nodes are down and she is very perky I am hoping it is an allergy and not cancer as she does seem healthy otherwise. She got an ecoli infection a few weeks ago which the vet said was unrelated to her lymph nodes but didn't know how she got it.

My friend has a couple of older cats and has recommended her vet he is a bit out of the city and has been great with her cat who has thyroid cancer apparently he is a bit cheaper than my vet and goes the extra mile so I might take her to him for a second opinion. Its hard to make the call  I really wish they could talk!

Hmm the vet did look in her mouth but not thoroughly he said she has a bit of gingavitus but that its not bad he charges a lot to clean teeth so I take my cats to another vet which is quite far away but  a 1/4 of the price I could get her teeth cleaned  and get the ultra sound at the same time if they have the equipment as she would be knocked out.

If I take her anywhere else I will ask them to have a really good look in her mouth I thought about maybe a blocked slaivary gland but then there would be swelling under her tongue and I think they would have noticed that.

Thank you!

Well its with great sadness that I write things are not going well for my baby - her lymph nodes over her heart are swollen and her breathing is restricted - there is also likely a tumour I took her to another vet and he thinks she definitely has Lymphoma she has also gone off her food she has always been a big eater.

After looking into the different options I have decided not to put her through chemo at 10 years old and as she has likely had the cancer for at least six months already. If it had been diagnosed earlier she could have had drugs that may have kept it at bay a little longer and maybe shrunk the cancer but with the breathing difficulties its not looking likely it will improve.

She is on some meds to hopefully bring the swelling down so she can breathe more easily but other than that there is not a lot they can do. She has been to the vet three times and will go back on Monday.

Does anyone have any advice to keep her comfortable until I need to make the decision which is maybe not long? She is still eating a little  and keeps wanting to go outside which I am not keen on as I am scared she will get chased by another cat and have a heart attack or go away to die somewhere but she doesnt like using the litter tray indoors her tummy is a little distended so I hope she is not hanging on. Its just exhausting for her not being able to breathe properly and I really don't want her to suffer. She is still purring cleaning herself and walking around but obviously gets out of breath very easily. Its breaking my heart I just wish I could make her more comfortable.