My dog's arm is swollen and bruised after a blood test, what to do?

Yes, the jugular vein is almost always used for blood draws in dogs unless only a drop or two is needed - this is common practice, and very normal :) It's possible that there might be some bruising for a few days in this area, just like in humans after a blood draw. If he's acting normal and the area is not swollen, this is likely not any cause for concern. If the bruise seems to be getting larger, or if he is acting painful or lethargic, you can always take him back in for a recheck to make sure everything is okay.

A bruise typicallyl is not going to be swollen. I would suspect that your pet may have an abscess or seroma. A picture of the area in question would have been helpful as well. However, giving Vit K in cases where you suspect that your pet has ingested rat poison, is not going to be harmful to the pet in most cases, especially if they are monitored by your veterinarian and given the appropriate amount of medication. Relieving the pressure is ideal if this is a seroma or abscess; however, I would not recommend doing this yourself b/c of the risk of hittiing a major blood vessel (depending on the location of the swelling). Also, most pets don't tolerate draining of seroma's well without proper restraint and sometimes a local anesthetic. I would also discuss with your vet about possible pressure bandaging the leg to prevent further seroma formation. I would recommend going forward with the blood tests as well, to rule out any coagulation abnormality and also get a good overall picutre of his health status so that you can make the correct treatment choices for him moving forward. I hope this helps and best of luck moving forward with your pets care. I hope he has a full and speedy recovery. Take care.

This could be a hematoma (when blood vessels burst and cause a blood-filled blister.) from being poked three times for blood. Typically these are not something to worry about and resolve on their own. Do not try to squeeze, and keep an eye on it. If it gets bigger or doesn't appear to be resolving over the next week, I'd take Oxley into the vet. I hope this helps!

Yes, that is fairly normal for a punch biopsy. The opening is usually quite small, but it's a deep wound, so it tends to bleed a lot; especially in certain areas of the body and with certain lesions. I would not be worried right now. Keep it covered and the bleeding will stop soon. The bleeding will not be enough to cause any major damage, so no worries about that. The swelling should go down in the next 2-3 days. If it's past three days and it's still swelling, then it would be worth a recheck by your veterinarian. I hope that helps and Baxter gets better soon.

Hi, thank you for getting in touch with us. I totally understand your concerns, From the picture you are showing us, I would say that the bruising is excessive considering the small procedure. However mast cell tumours release substances that cause a lot of inflammation in the surrounding tissues, so this is what could have occurred to Sandy. I would recommend to have Sandy reassessed, if she is other ways well in herself, eating and drinking, tail wagging and comfortable you can make an appointment for tomorrow with your regular vets. If you are worried that she is unhappy, please take her in today. It would be best for you to see your own vet for continuity of care, because they have all Sandy's records and they did the procedure 36 hrs ago. Having said this, if you are not happy about the way your vets handle your concerns, I would go and see another vet. It would be interesting to know what medications is Sandy on. If you want to apply something just on the bruised area, Arnica is a natural but powerful ointment that helps a lot with bruising. I would not apply it where the dressing is. You just need to massage it gently so that it gets absorbed into the skin, 2-3 times a day. It is sold at the chemist under the name Arnicare cream. Also Lymph nodes in the area are quite deep, so I am thinking that maybe you are feeling something else ? Good luck, please get in touch if more advice is needed.

Hello there, Did Casanova have blood drawn today while he was there? This could be a completely normal bruise from a common blood draw site. Another possibility is an insect sting to cause small swelling like this. It is difficult to appreciate the swelling and color changes from the picture, as many light furred pets have dark skin and this can be normal. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I’m wondering if Friday also had blood drawn for a heartworm test - the jugular vein is often used for venipuncture and bruising can be common. A platelet problem or other clotting disorder could also cause bruising. I think seeing your vet is a good idea.