Your dog's tonsils are the pink masses located in pockets on either side of the back of his mouth. They comprise part of his immune system, helping his body to fight infection. When a dog's tonsils become red and swollen, the condition is called tonsillitis. Veterinarians treat tonsillitis in different ways depending on the cause.
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Diagnosis
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A dog is most susceptible to tonsillitis when his tonsils are irritated over a long period of time. This may be due to chronic coughing or vomiting, an object lodged in his throat or illness elsewhere in his body. A dog with tonsillitis may retch, cough, swallow frequently or refuse to eat due to the pain of his inflamed tonsils. A veterinarian can determine the cause of the inflammation through a series of tests.
Removal of Foreign Objects
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A veterinarian may request an X-ray to determine whether an object lodged in the dog's throat is the cause of the tonsillitis. An X-ray provides a look inside the dog's body, displaying dense matter in white and less dense matter in black. If the veterinarian finds a foreign object, such as a stick or piece of a toy, she will remove the object from the dog's throat.
Cancer Treatments
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If a veterinarian suspects that cancer may have caused the tonsillitis, she will conduct a cytology exam on a sample taken from the tonsils. She will examine the structure of the cells in the sample to look for abnormalities indicative of cancer. If cancer is present, she will request one or more of three treatments: radiotherapy to destroy the cancer, surgery to remove it or chemotherapy to eliminate it through medicine.
Antibiotics
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Irritated tonsils are open to bacterial infection which results in tonsillitis. If a veterinarian is concerned that tartar in a dog's mouth is the source of excessive bacteria, she may order a thorough dental cleaning for him. Following this, or any treatment for tonsillitis, the veterinarian may order antibiotics to eliminate bacteria. This is true in cases where the cause of the tonsillitis is unclear, as is often the case with small dog breeds.
Tonsillectomy
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Once your dog has finished the antibiotics prescribed by the veterinarian, his tonsillitis should have disappeared. However, this is not always the case. If tonsillitis persists, especially if its cause is unclear, a tonsillectomy is required. A tonsillectomy is the complete surgical removal of the tonsils. Veterinarians avoid removing the tonsils because they form an important part of the dog's immune system. In most cases of tonsillitis, a tonsillectomy is unnecessary.
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