My dog's back leg is giving out, no swelling. Is it a snake bite?

I don't know what type of research you did but i would not be able to tell by the bite if it is a venomous snake or not, i strongly recommend taking him to the emergency right away as a snake bite can easily be deadly within a few hours.

I can see the swelling from the pictures you posted. It appears the swelling goes form the foot all the way to the knee. I see that you live in an area where snake bite is possible. I would check thoroughly for any punctures along the entire leg and see if Diamond is painful in any particular area. If not, other causes of swelling like this could include infection, allergic reaction, trauma, cancer, among others. Sometimes swelling in an entire limb can be caused by decreased lymphatic flow - this can be caused by damage to lymph nodes or a structure under the skin or inside the body that is impinging on the lymph flow. I have also seen swelling like this with a flare-up of a mast cell tumor elsewhere on the body. I agree with your vet; if the medications prescribed to not make a difference, additional diagnostics are warranted. They may include bloodwork, abdominal x-rays, tick testing, or sampling of any small masses found.

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.

Oh no, poor Trevor! If he was bitten by a Russell Viper, you would see extensive swelling and significant pain in the wound area. Given that it's been more than 24 hours and Trevor seems completely normal, I would suspect he hasn't been bitten by a viper. I would gently clean the wounds with warm water and antiseptic soap, and keep an eye on him. Monitor the wounds for redness, swelling, pus, and warmth to the touch, indications of infection. Should you see any of those signs, take him into the vet for antibiotics. If Trevor does develop any swelling, becomes lethargic, stops eating, and starts vomiting, I would take him into a vet right away. Hopefully, however, he will be just fine :-)

Is this the location where the envenomation occurred? There could still be residual swelling and gravity is taking it to the lowest place. Otherwise the skin could be becoming necrotic from the bite. I would recommend a follow up appointment with your veterinarian just to make sure that nothing serious is happening. I’m so glad he made it through that crisis! What a scare!

Hello, sorry to hear about Al. He can have up to 160 mg of benadryl every 8 - 12hours. I would increase his dose to 80 -100mg every 8 hours and see if that helps decrease the swelling. Otherwise, you may be able to be seen by Virginia -Maryland School of Veterinary Medicine since they have a 24h emergency room. That is located in Blacksburg. You can also try to ice the leg to decrease some of the swelling. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Rocks. I would think that since the spleen plays a big role in the immune system and a storage area for red blood cells, that a subsequent enlargement of the organ is entirely possible. I would say this though......if the spleen remains enlarged a month or two after the snake bite episode, I would pursue the x-ray and/or ultrasound to evaluate why it is truly enlarged. Many middle aged to older dogs end up having problems with their spleens including hematomas, splenic cysts, or even splenic tumors which can either be benign or malignant. Sometimes these problems with the spleen cause internal bleeding from the damaged organ thus often necessitating an emergency splenectomy. Your vet is correct to advise imaging studies to try to detect an enlarged spleen and attempt to treat it if necessary in a non emergent setting. Good luck with Rocks and I hope this is all related to the snake bite.