My dog probably has lymphoma. Does the prednisone make the lymph nodes shrink and soften?

I took her to the vet yesterday because the lymph nodes under her jaw, behind her legs and her lower mammaries were swollen. It just popped up in the span of a few days. He said it might be a tick infection, but most likely lymphoma. So he started her on prednisone because I am 250 miles from a center that does chemo and I can't afford it anyway.





About my question....she has only had 2 doses of prednisone and an antibiotic (to rule out infection) - yesterday and today - and her lymph nodes have gotten considerably smaller. Is this a result of the prednisone or should I get my hopes up by thinking it might be an infection and the antibiotic is working?





Thanks for your answers. She's the best dog ever and she had been through hell when we found her. It's simply not fair for her to be sick now and I just need a little hope.

My dog probably has lymphoma. Does the prednisone make the lymph nodes shrink and soften?
Prednisolone is used as part of the chemotherapy protocol for lymphoma in dogs. When used by itself it will shrink the lymph nodes and soften them to some extent.





A dramatic reduction it the size of the lymph nodes would be more likely in an infection. Get your vet to take another look, if finances allow, they will be able to check the size of the nodes and give you the best answer.





Good luck, I hope your dog does well on her treatment