Any Vets (as in Veterinarians) out there?

[MakeItHappen 15]

One of my dogs has a problem that my local vet cannot figure out (yet anyway).

RePete's right rear leg had what looked like a simple bruise on 10/16.
We (Max, RePete and I) went to the local PetCo for some food on the 16th. We left there about 7:30pm. Both dogs were just fine with no limping or anything strange. About 2 hours later, the dogs heard something in the yard they had to 'go check out'. They ran out of the house. RePete limped tho. Hummm... what's up with that?

RePete's leg had a small bump, that looked like a fresh bruise, just above the hock on the outside of the leg. The puffy-ness was on the outside of the hock. The only tender part was her tendon.

The next morning I made a vet appt for the next day. Later that day RePete was putting weight on the leg and I figured it was not broken - just a bruise. I cancelled the vet appt. I iced the leg with frozen peas and gave her an aspirin 2x daily for about two days.

A week and a half goes by and RePete seems to be recovering from this bruise just fine. The swelling went down and dissipated into the surrounding area. She was putting weight on the leg.

Last Saturday, the swelling went back up, big time and she started doing the 3-legged hop to get around. She still did put weight on the leg, but not as often and not when she wanted to move around faster.

I took her to the vet on Tuesday. They took xrays, blood sample and fluid sample of the area. There were no abnormalities in the xray. No broken bones or signs of cancer. The blood tests came back normal, including the clotting time test. The cytology came back normal too. No cancer cells found. RePete has a normal temp, appetite and bowel movements.

So when I talked to the vet this morning, she said to pick up some antibiotics, just in case in was some sort of infection, but she does not know why the leg is the way it is. Her husband also looked at RePete. They are a husband/wife vet team.

They do not think it is 'just a bruise' healing in some bizarre way, but something else is going on. They don't know what that may be. Poisoning has been ruled out. Cancer is still a possibility, but nothing shows in the xrays now.

RePete is 10 yo. Got bit by a baby rattlesnake about 7 years ago. Had some fatty tissue blobs removed about 2 years ago in the area that is swollen now. She has two other fatty growths that are still soft and do not seem to be mast cell tumors.

The vet said to continue warm compresses and gentle massage of the area. And also get her to walk around on the leg to help dissipate the blood. She said draining is not really a solution because the blood is not collected in a pocket (like a blister or cyst).

So, any vets out there have any idea on what this might be or how to treat it?

Two pics - one from earlier this summer, one from yesterday.

Thanks.

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Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[skybytch 259]

Can't help you with your question but I gotta say...

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They are a husband/wife vet team.

If it's the ones I'm thinking of in the town you live in, you chose the best vet office in town. They've been awesome with my kid and his dog - both in treatments and in not charging him as much as they could (the husband even came out to help Dave with one of his project sheep when he was in high school and didn't charge us a thing).

[normiss 622]

someday I'll learn to not click on these threads around Veterans day!

[ladyskydiver 0]

<-- not a vet but asking questions based on what I've seen at the ER

Is it a bruise or does it ooze at all? Has RePete's blood been checked for any fungal infections - i.e. blastomycosis?

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[MakeItHappen 15]

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<-- not a vet but asking questions based on what I've seen at the ER

Is it a bruise or does it ooze at all? Has RePete's blood been checked for any fungal infections - i.e. blastomycosis?

The shaved part of her coat oozed a bit after the sample was taken.
The vet said that was because she was licking it. But it hasn't oozed anymore.

No checks for fungal stuff yet.

Thanks for any help.

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Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[skydivellama 0]

Also not a vet, but a vet student (and not a very advanced one yet):

Has the vet done an arthrocentesis (taking synovial fluid from the joint capsule itself) or just fluid from the swollen tissue? I don't know if there are any infections that would show up in the joint fluid but not the blood, but it's possible.

It could also be that she had a partial tear of one of the ligaments or tendons in the area and is just having a very strong inflammatory response while her body tries to heal the tear. If that's the case she'll probably eventually form scar tissue and regain almost normal use of the joint. It does look like there's something more than that going on from the picture, though.

Sorry I'm not much help but arthrocentesis might help with a diagnosis if they haven't done one yet.

"Perhaps she saw before her a lifetime of walking on the ruined earth and chose instead a single moment in the air." -Carolyn Parkhurst

[DJL 232]

My doctor friend tells me that an xray doesn't show cartilage or soft tissue damage. Would need a CT scan.

"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher

[hobie331 0]

I wonder if dogs can get Pseudogout?

It's a gift, I don't try to explain it.

[maadmax 0]

Hi I am a Vet. This sounds like a tough case. I imagine your Vet has already checked, but you didn't mention if a partial tear of the gastrocnemius tendon had been ruled out and or if a clotting profile had been preformed? I would say it sounds like some sort of tendon/ligament injury, possible chip fracture or neoplasia. You might also request a referral to an Orthopedic Specialist. GOOD LUCK!

[MakeItHappen 15]

Quote

Hi I am a Vet. This sounds like a tough case. I imagine your Vet has already checked, but you didn't mention if a partial tear of the gastrocnemius tendon had been ruled out and or if a clotting profile had been preformed? I would say it sounds like some sort of tendon/ligament injury, possible chip fracture or neoplasia. You might also request a referral to an Orthopedic Specialist. GOOD LUCK!

I am grasping for ideas to say to my vet this afternoon.
I do not expect a diagnose or treatment for this via the internet, but just something to say to my vet 'what about this or that?'
RePete has been on antibiotics since last Thursday. Her leg is getting more swollen each day. She does not put any weight on it at all now. Her thigh is now tender to the touch, so massaging that area is out of the question. Her paw, much more swollen, is not tender, so massage works on that.

Attached are the lab reports from last week.

What should be the next step?
Any ideas?

Can a spider bite do something like this?

When RePete was bitten by a baby rattlesnake, her paw did not swell this much.

Katie, my lab, had lymphosarcoma and died within a month of the first signs of swollen glands.

Osteosarcoma has treatment of amputation. What's the best way to find out if this is the problem?

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Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[skydivellama 0]

I'm pretty sure the best way to diagnose osteosarcoma is with x-rays (maadmax please correct me if I'm wrong). I think you said in the original post that the x-rays were normal? Maybe the doctor can take some more x-rays from different angles to see if anything shows up that wasn't visible in the other rads?

"Perhaps she saw before her a lifetime of walking on the ruined earth and chose instead a single moment in the air." -Carolyn Parkhurst

[NtheSeaOrSky 0]

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Attached are the lab reports from last week.

What should be the next step?
Any ideas?

A reaspiration as the first report suggested would be my first step, but I am not a vet.

Life is not fair and there are no guarantees...

[maadmax 0]

The lab work appears to be within normal limits. No clotting abnormalities or infections. A spider bite might be a consideration. What kind of spiders do you have where you live? If your Vet can rule out an orthopedic injury then I would suggest a minor exploratory surgery with debridement, drain placement, and collection of tissue for histopathology. Osteosarcomas or any type of bone cancer is usually very obvious on a x-ray, so I doubt you have that.
Again, this is an unusually difficult case.

[opurt 0]

I believe University of Pennsylvania has one of the top veterinary hospitals in the country: Ryan Veterinary Hospital (small animal hospital). The Penn large animal hospital was where they took Barbaro.

Perhaps get some thoughts from your vets about veterinary hospitals they regard highly.

FYI.

[MakeItHappen 15]

RePete's Blog about her Fight with Hemangiosarcoma


I have a bunch of drugs that were renewed last Friday and have never been opened. If you need Aceprom 25mg, Rimadyl 100mg, Tramadol 50 mg or Sulfa-Trimethoprim 480mg - let me know

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Make It Happen
Parachute History
DiveMaker

[Shawndiver 0]

Condolences and vibes to you and Max, you did everything you could to make RePetes last days comfortable.

Blues,

Shawn

_________________

[hobie331 0]

My heart goes out to you.

It's a gift, I don't try to explain it.

[flygirl1 0]

I'm so sorry for your loss. Loosing a furry family member is so tough. I really wish they lived as long as we did.

Fly like a girl

[livendive 8]

The open wound picture looked to me like the kind of damage one could get from a spider bite. That last picture of Max and RePete really got to me. You and Max have my sincerest condolences.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[jtval 0]

Tell me about it. That last picture brought tears to my eyes.

It's sad to lose a pet, especially so quickly.

At first I was wondering if it was a tick, spider, snake bite. Unfortunately, it was worse.

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[RALFFERS 0]

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Tell me about it. That last picture brought tears to my eyes.

Ditto...

Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself -

"from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of

[ltdiver 3]

Jan, I'm so sorry for the loss of your family member. I know how much RePete meant to you.

Lori

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon

[irisheyes 0]

I am so very sorry for your loss. Like others here have said, RePete's blog brought tears to my eyes.

[maadmax 0]

Sorry to hear how things turned out. I can tell that RePete was loved and that you did everything that you could to save her.

[ladyskydiver 0]

Sorry for your loss.

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.