Dog's leg is swollen and red after IV fluids at the vet. What to do?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I suspect the leg may be infected or one of the veins where iv catheter was placed is inflamed. Your Hoot will likely need a course of antibiotics and/or anti-inflammatory agent to get better. Please, keep her rested overnight and apply a cold compress on the leg (ice cubes wrapped up in a towel) for 10-15 minutes every 2-3hrs to help with the swelling.

Repeated fluid therapy under the skin will often produce quite extensive oedema such as you describe and this can become infected so should be monitored closely; this is why intravenous fluids are generally used for correcting significant dehydration

Fifi is in pain if she is walking with her right leg lifted. It could be she has torn a ligament leading to the pain and swelling. I would not be concerned about her ears being cold, as they can be colder than the rest of the body given how they are external and don't have theist blood supply. I'd take her into a vet today or tomorrow to get this problem with her leg checked out so it can be treated. Best of luck.

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.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! From what you have detailed in your description and the picture you have provided, I would recommend getting her seen by her regular vet sooner rather than later. If she is dealing with a protein / fluid imbalance in her body, this could be causing fluid accumulation in various areas of the body. If something is causing lymph fluid to accumulate in the leg, I would want that also examined sooner rather than later. It does not sound like an injury since she is not painful and given that you are describing it as a sac of fluid, I would want her examined and have this looked at by a vet soon. Blood work is something I would strongly recommend to ensure she does not have any systemic changes that could be leading to this. I hope this helps! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any other questions / concerns you may have. I am also available by phone or text consultation if you would like to talk more about Leah. Please remember to rate this post as helpful or not. Thank you!

When an IV catheter is placed in a blood vessel for several days, it can eventually pull out of the blood vessel so that the fluids are going under the skin rather than in the blood vessel, or it could mean that the tape holding the catheter in place is a bit too tight. Both of these events occur very commonly in animals that are hospitalized on IV fluids. While a swollen paw is a bit uncomfortable temporarily, the vet and vet tech will be able to either remove or replace the catheter, or simply adjust the tape holding it in place. I've seen several of your posts about Hunter and I'm thrilled to hear that he's doing much better! :-)

Please have Ann examined by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER today. That wound will likely need to be explored and debrided surgically. This will require anesthesia. A culture/sensitivity and biopsy of the area should be submitted as well. The C&S will identify any bacteria as well as the best antibiotic to use in treatment. Even though she was on antibiotics, if the bacteria was not susceptible to them, they would be ineffective. A biopsy will rule out neoplasia (cancer). Either can cause delayed healing or non-healing. If infection gets into the bone, it could turn into a life threatening condition. Place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent licking until she sees a doctor.