Swollen bump in front of ear on dog

[DaisyB]

Dear Friends. Our female dog, Hintza, 11 years old with an osteosarcoma diagnosis, has a bump in front of her R ear. She was restless last night and just came into my office and asked for acupuncture (I'm a people acupuncturist). I felt that her R side of her face was warmer than her L side and discovered a small grape size lump on the front side of her ear. I did some acupuncture and she has settled down.
She had small bumps in front of both ears a few weeks ago, but we had bigger issues then. They both resolved.
Hintza has had her L front leg removed because of the osteosarcoma tumor. So, her R front side is how she gets around. I am also concerned that her one remaining front paw (R) might have significant arthritis (because it did before her L front leg was removed).
We've tried nothing else yet specific to the ear. She is on symphytum as a homeopathic as she deals with bone cancer. She sleeps with the ion box and gets Assisi loop treatments for general health and arthritis. She gets supplements like onco support, omega fish oil, etc. and good raw food with bone broth, etc.
In general her BEAM has been great. We had snow this week and she's enjoyed playing in it and had plenty of energy.
Thanks for any suggestions.
daisy

 

[Dr. Sara]

Dear Daisy,
Hintza is lovely, such beautiful eyes!
Do you think this swelling could be the lymph node under the ear? This diagram shows the glands:

https://wiringall.com/canine-lymph-nodes-diagram.html

Lymph node enlargement that comes and goes usually indicates that an individual is dealing with inflammation. Persistent lymph node enlargement can indicate cancer of the lymphatic system.
As you know, acupuncture is an excellent way to assist body function and move the energy of the body. As acupuncture increases circulation as well, we are careful not to put needles in areas of active inflammation or into cancerous sites.
I would continue using acupuncture to help stimulate drainage of the head and neck, as well as to address Hintza's arthritic right limb Tripods do have increased stress on their remaining limbs, so she is certainly lucky she has her own acupuncturist!
Best,
Dr. Sara

 

[DaisyB]

Dear Dr. Sara,
Thank you for this information. It appears to be in her parotid gland area. Is there a way to understand if the osteosarcoma has spread? And where? I know about Xraying the lung - so far, there is no observable evidence of cancer in her lungs. But I recently read about doing an ultrasound of the abdominal organs to check them. Any thoughts on that?

Also thank you for the advice about not needling into inflammation or cancerous sites. I haven't done that. The bump has gotten smaller with the acupuncture and I will do warm compresses as well. The Assisi Loop seems to help with her arthritis as well as the occasional needling.
Thank you very much.
daisy

 

[Dr. Sara]

Osteosarcoma most commonly metastasizes (spreads) to the lungs. Other locations are possible, though less common. Ultrasound can look for spread, and assess the health of internal organs.

I don't think these glands in front of Hintza's ears are swollen because of cancer spread. I think your treatment plan for those is sound.
Dr. Sara