My 11-month Rottweiler has a swelling on his elbow. What is it?

Thank you for your question. A swelling like this could be a couple of things. If Blue does not appear painful and is not limping, this may just be a hygroma, which is just a fluid filled swelling from laying on the hard ground. If this is the case, I would simply recommend soft bedding, and try to keep him from laying directly on the hard floor, and it should improve over 2-3 weeks. If it is painful to the touch, hot, or if Blue is limping, this could be an infection and he should be seen by your veterinarian as soon as you can get him in. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

He probably has an elbow hygroma from lying on a hard surface. Encourage him to lie on a soft, padded surface. Have him examined by your vet, he/she could bandage the area to provide extra padding or fit him for a specialy made wrap from Dog Leggs. http://www.dogleggs.com/standard-length-adjustable-dogleggs/

Hello. Louie is very young to develop any masses, but it is possible. It is also possible that he injured the joint & this is joint fluid collecting under the skin. The most likely possibility is this is a hygroma. What has probably happened is Louie was resting on a fairly hard surface & the pressure of his weight has created tissue damage over the elbow bones. A fluid pocket forms as the body tries to produce its own cushioning. I do encourage you to have your veterinarian examine this, but do change his bedding to something much softer & pliant, as the hygroma may simply begin to resolve on its own over the next 2-3 weeks. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be a benign or malignant growth. This could also be a hygroma. This is often differentiated by a test called a fine needle aspirate (FNA) which is a pain free, inexpensive and easy procedure which in most cases will help reach a diagnosis. Sometimes a biopsy is needed for a definitive diagnosis. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. I am really hoping for something benign. Good luck and have a good day!

Yes, this looks like a hygroma. In addition to having him lay on a soft bed I recommend getting dogleggs elbow protectors. You can have him wear them until the hygroma resolves and his elbow forms a callus. It will protect the other elbow also. If Rocky is like most dogs he will continue to lay on hard surfaces even if you have beds available. The elbow protection will reduce the chances of the hygroma getting infected or bigger. Dogleggs.com., they are a great company and have the best elbow protection available. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Rocky.

Hello. Based on your pictures, it does look like Boo has developed an elbow callus. These happen when there is too much pressure when lying on a hard surface. Try to encourage Boo to rest on more padded surfaces, but generally require little more to treat. But I do recommend letting your veterinarian take a look at Boo's elbow at your earliest convenience just in case something else is amiss that would only become apparent after a hands on examination. Hopefully, all will be well with her & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern! From the pictures you have provided, this appears to be what we call a sebaceous adenoma. This is a benign skin mass that we typically start to see develop in middle aged to older dogs. They do not cause any harm but can become sore and open from time to time. If these masses become infected or are painful I then recommend having them removed, otherwise, monitoring them is absolutely fine to do. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!