My 3-year-old Akita has swollen front legs. What could it be?

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. It appears to be infection, possible allergies, or some kind of mite or something. Without and exam and further testing it would be difficult to say. I don't know what tests have been done already, but i recommed a biopsy if medications haven't worked. Maybe a dermatologist would be best as the next step if biopsy isnt definitive.

Hi, Joints swellings are caused by an accumulation of fluid in the joint. This condition may be caused by different conditions most commonly: degenerative joint disease (DJD - arthritis), injuries, infectious disease (chronic infection and some tick borne disease) , immune mediated (immune-mediated polyarthritis , lupus) , cancer (mostly bone tumors), swellings due to blood accumulation in the joint of dogs with clotting disorders. Gout is very rare and actually never been accurately documented in dogs. I would suggest to take her to the vet again to give pain relief if painful and try to diagnose the underlying cause. Good luck.

This appears to be a pustule, which indicates a skin infection. The skin appears rather red, which indicates that something must be irritating the skin. Often, a skin infection starts due to some sort of irritation. The common causes of skin irritation are allergies and external parasites (fleas, mites, lice). However, this does not explain him acting lethargic or sick. This would be my primary concern and could be due to many different things. I think it's best if you can take Akita to get examined by the vet sometime soon. The lethargy can indicate moderate to severe conditions, so it's best if you can take him within the next 24 hours to keep him from getting worse.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lexi. I am concerned that her elbow callus has become infected. She may require antibiotics to help it heal. In the meantime, have her sleep on soft surfaces. This will prevent any further trauma to the area. She will likely need to wear an E-collar as well to prevent her from licking. I hope this information helps!

Poor Fang! He could have a bacterial infection, ringworm, mites, injury, and/or an allergic dermatitis. His toe looks very swollen and I think he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause and treat. He might need an antibiotic, corticosteroid, anti-fungal, or other medications to help. Your vet can do a skin scrape, culture, or cytology, if needed, to help diagnose. In the mean time, you could soak his paw in a warm Epsom salt solution and see if that helps. Call your vet and schedule an appointment to have him seen.

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!