Salivary Gland Infection
My 3 1/2 year old male Maltese developed swollen salivary glands about a year ago. My veterinarian wasn't very concerned, and neither was his associate. After several weeks, we obtained a second opinion. After an extremely thorough examination, including drawing and testing fluid, he concluded that 1.) Yes it was the salivary glands and 2.) the glands were infected. Two doses of antibiotics got them back to normal.
He did send the vials of liquid to a veterinary university where they were studied by graduate students and they found that the glands seemed to have some crystals in them that typically only appear in certain breeds. He explained that he worried that the tubes in the glands might be closing up, but that if truly necessary, the salivary glands could be removed, but not without some problems for the dog in the future, and that we should keep a watch on them. If they continued to go up and down, as long as they had some semblance of order, the dog should be OK.
One question I don't believe I ever asked him - My dog has a very bad habit of eating his excrement. We do everything we can to catch him as he goes, but are not always successful. Could this be leading to an infection? We have heard that there are pills available to make them so distasteful that the dog won't want to ingest his feces. True? Successful?
The glands have continually gone up and down, with the left one being up most often. They tend to get to a maximum size of about one inch (about the size of an old time large marble). The left one has stayed up for about a month or two as of late.
When we began, my second opinion doctor, of whom I am just thrilled with, stated that it could very well be cancerous. After his analysis, he has made it clear that he has ruled cancer out.
As a final note - my normally inside the house dog got under the barn about a year or two ago and we spent about two weeks pulling ticks from around every part of his body. We counted over 70 of these ticks. Could he have Lyme disease, and do these symptoms match up at all?
Your opinion on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Infection of the salivary glands is less common than infections of the throat and lymphnodes next to the salivary glands. Such infections are usually caused by local irritation and infection inoculation. Your dog likely picked up germs in his mouth, or it was introduced through a puncture wound. The specific germ name, obtained by culturing, would be more indicative of the source of the germ. For instance, certain germs are common to the feces, and not normally found in salivary glands. The corprophagy, eating feces, may be the source of the germs. What was cultured?
Behavioral corprophagy can be stopped by diligent cleaning of the fecal matter, mineral supplementation and changing the flavor of the feces. Multi-vitamin and mineral supplements, such as VitaGravy, are often helpful in satisfying certain cravings your dog may have that lead him to such behavior. One common feces flavor modifier is monosodium glutamate, MSG, a flavor inhancer found in supermarkets. Accent(r) is a common brand. It just so happens MSG changes the feces flavor also when added to your dog's food. Try adding a mineral supplement and Accent(r) to your dog's food to see if it helps.
Lyme disease is carried by ticks, and can spread to dogs and humans by tick bites. It is unlikely causing the salivary gland problem. Lameness and flu-like symptoms are more common in Lyme Disease cases.
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