The parotid gland
In dogs, there are four main pairs of salivary glands. Of these, you can actually feel one of them, the parotid gland. It is situated just below and behind the ear (or either side) in the space between the angle of the jaw and the muscles of the neck. The parotid gland, like the other salivary gland, drains into the dog’s mouth via a duct the (parotid duct or Stensen’s duct). This canal can become blocked up by salivary salts (concrement). The parotid gland then becomes so swollen that you can actually see the gland.
There are other causes for the swelling of the parotid gland. The literature speaks of cancerous