My dog's back leg is swollen. Vet gave meds, what else could it be?

I'm sorry to hear that Diamond isn't doing well. There are many potential reasons for lameness and lethargy. The first thing that comes to mind would be a tick-related illness such as Lyme disease. Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses can cause significant joint inflammation, fever and general malaise. I would ensure that Diamond has easy access to food and water and that you offer him some yummy options such as low-sodium chicken broth to drink and boiled chicken to eat. You can also try applying a cool compress to his swollen paw. If these ministrations are not successful and Diamond continues to be lethargic and inappetant, I would strongly recommend that you have him seen by a veterinarian. Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses are relatively easy to diagnose and are treatable. Other potential causes for his symptoms would be an injury, infection or cancer. Your veterinarian will be able to determine what is going on.

If I read this correctly your dog's leg was swelling to this size within a few hours. If your vet took x-rays and found bone lesions then there is indeed a possibility of bone cancer. However only a biopsy of the bone or the tissue of the swelling will prove that there is cancer. Without the possibility of examining the leg myself I can only give you possibilitites of why there is a swelling: 1) Check for puncture wounds or an injury. this could be a peracute infection of the joint. 2) this may be an injury of the joint such as a fracture or tendon injury, You should take your dog back to a veterinarian for an exam, especially since this is painful.

This looks like a severe bite wound and it would need to be examined by a veterinarian. This wound needs to be cleaned and disinfected and your dog will need pain medicine and antibiotics, Please take Tyson to a veterinarian for wound care. The swelling may be a sign of a fracture or infection.

Wow, Demi's leg is quite swollen in the pictures! She could have broken a bone, torn a ligament or muscle, or have a severe infection in the leg. Based on the amount of swelling, this is an emergency and she needs to see a vet now. please take her into one immediately to get this diagnosed and treated. Best of luck.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dudley. It can take a while for antibiotics to make a difference. I would continue with the medication as prescribed. If you have seen absolutely no improvement by tomorrow, then he should see his veterinarian again. There can be other causes for a swollen leg aside from infection. Vasculitis, for example, is possible. However, it is always important to start antibiotics first as other medications could make an infection worse if not treated. These can be challenging cases! I hope this information helps!

Poor Casper! I'm sorry to hear that he's injured. Without being able to examine him, I'm afraid it's hard to say what might be wrong. You're correct that the swelling could certainly be due to a snake bite. Other possibilities would include an insect bite or sting, a fractured bone in his paw or leg, an infected wound or abscess, or some other type of injury. Many of these problems can be quite serious and even life-threatening, so I would recommend taking Casper to an emergency vet tonight for treatment. The vet can examine his leg, and may also take x-rays or do other testing if needed to determine what's wrong and get him started on appropriate treatment.

Poor Axel! Because this swelling keeps getting bigger, I would be concerned that it is a cyst, a benign tumor, or a malignant tumor. I'm not sure what medications he was given, but clearly they aren't working if the swelling has gotten bigger. It's also concerning that he has stopped using the leg, not walking properly, and not eating. I would have Axel seen by the vet again today. I recommend having a fine needle aspirate done on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the lump to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. Once the cause of the swelling is found, the vet can discuss treatment options.