I just noticed a knot (for lack of a better description) on my female pit bull mix's face.?

Question

It's right under her right eye, about the size of a quarter, and raised up about an inch or two. My husband pressed on it, and she didn't whine or try to bite him so it doesn't seem like she's in pain. He said that it was hard as a rock. He checked to see if he could find anything like an insect bite or anything, and didn't see anything. She is an outside dog. We've noticed that she's not eating well. If one of us stands beside her, she'll eat until the bowl is empty. If her teeth were bothering her, she wouldn't even eat then; would she? If it were an abcess tooth, that would be hurting her; wouldn't it? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I'm planning on calling the vet on Monday unless I notice something else before then. We called the emergency number that was on the machine, but of course, they won't tell you anything without seeing the animal.

Answer 1

It could very well be an abcessed tooth, however it could be a lot of other things too. The only way to know for sure if the tooth is abcessed is to do a dental xray, which most veterinarians can do.
Just because your dog is eating doesn't mean that his mouth isn't hurting - dogs are usually stoic by nature.

So, it could be an abcess, an allergic reaction, or several other things. It's impossible to tell without the dog being seen by a veterinarian. I guess the best thing to do is to put yourself in your dog's shoes - would you want to go all weekend with a swelling on your face? Honestly, it would be a good idea to have your pet seen.

Good luck.

PS: It's not that the ER clinic "won't" tell you anything over the phone. It's that they can't. It's illegal for them to give any medical advice over the phone without seeing the animal first.

Answer 2

It could be an insect or spider bite. They can be very hard to see.

Try putting an ice cube on it to help with the swelling.

Answer 3

It needs attention from the vet.