Dog fight injury: Fluid sac on my dog's ribs. Should I be concerned?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If there was a traumatic injury that caused a pocket to form under the skin, this would create a dead space. Consequently when there is dead space under skin the body will try to fill this dead space in and fluid will accumulate in the pocket as a result. This is what we call a seroma. Many times after a single drainage by the vet this usually resolves. Sometimes the seroma needs to be drained multiple times. Seromas do not harm the animal in any way. Sometimes applying cold packing and warm packs to the area will help reduce inflammation and help the seroma resolve. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any other questions or concerns you may have I am also available via consultation if needed

This lump could be a cyst or an abscess. I recommend taking Roxy into the vet tomorrow for an exam. The vet can do a physical exam, and can do a fine needle aspirate on the lump. 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. If it is a cyst, it will need to be drained, and it may need to be removed in order to keep it from returning. An abscess will require it to be drained and flushed sterilely, and she would need antibiotics to treat the infection.

This is unusual and possibly concernng. It may just be air that entered the tissue around the ribs, which would eventually subside, but it could also be abnormal swelling. I suggest you take her back to your veterinarian today for a recheck.

Hi there, It may just be a pocket caused by the fight that is now filling with fluid, kind of similar to a bruise but different in appearance because of the loose skin. I would apply a hot compress to the area (make sure it's not too hot) to help the fluid move around and absorb, but if it's still swollen in 24-48 hours I'd have you vet check. Best wishes and thanks for using Pet Coach!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Pet Coach. Based on the picture, this affected red area looks either like an abscess (pocket of infection) or a mass of unknown origin under the skin. Either way, it is inflamed and irritated, as well as possibly infected. I would highly recommend to have it evaluated by your regular veterinarian as soon as you can get an appt. If you dog can lick at the area please either put a long shirt on him or obtain an Ecollar to prevent him from licking until a doctor can evaluate this problem.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Abby may have a swelling on her side. Swelling under the skin in dogs can be due to a variety of reasons, including soft tissue injury, a growth, or a cyst or abscess, among others. If this is a new development for her, I would recommend it be evaluated by a veterinarian to determine what it may be, and if anything needs to be done for it. Good luck!

Hello. I am sorry about your concerns about Chewy. It is possible that this is just a significant bruise & possible hematoma under the skin ( & probably in the muscle ) that is just taking a long time to resolve. A simple seroma should have resolved by now, but if there was a large blood clot that formed from the trauma, that may take a bit longer to resolve. The other, but less likely possibility is that the joint capsule at the scapulohumeral junction ( where the upper leg bone connects to the shoulder ) has torn. This can result in the leakage of joint fluid into the surrounding tissues. This can be repaired surgically if necessary. Your veterinarian will probably recommend an x-ray & try to sample the fluid to see if it is blood tinged ( a seroma ), bloody ( a hematoma ), or clear & stringy ( joint fluid ). None of these is life-threatening, but if this is joint fluid, Chewy could wind up with some arthritis in the shoulder. So do not worry too much until you have a chance to have things looked at. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.