My dog has a swollen leg. How long does swelling typically last?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dudley. It can take a while for antibiotics to make a difference. I would continue with the medication as prescribed. If you have seen absolutely no improvement by tomorrow, then he should see his veterinarian again. There can be other causes for a swollen leg aside from infection. Vasculitis, for example, is possible. However, it is always important to start antibiotics first as other medications could make an infection worse if not treated. These can be challenging cases! I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear that Scooby was hurt. It sounds like things are on the mend, which is good. Continue the eye drops as directed as eyes take a while to heal. Depending on the injury, it can take anywhere from a few days to weeks for things to heal completely. As long as he is comfortable, I would say continuing your current regimen is the way to go. If you notice squinting, rubbing at the eye, or the inflammation getting worse, I would have it rechecked as soon as possible. Hope this helps!

I am sorry Scooby is not feeling well. Typically this swelling is called edema. Edema is when fluid accumulates and can be due to many things. The test results you posted do not have tick titers. If you are concerned about tick disease I would test for tick titers. Also another piece of information that would be helpful is a protein level. When protein levels are low it allows edema. The doxycycline itself will not cause edema. However if Scooby does not have a tick born disease it is possible the doxycycline is not going to be useful in solving his problem. I hope that helps

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.

Sorry to hear about poor Oreo. The swelling that you are describing is most likely due to a seroma. This commonly happens after trauma is just an accumulation of fluid under the skin. These are not harmful and do take a week or two to subside. Sometimes they can persist and need to be drained. Unfortunately, without being able to evaluate the swelling in-person, I can't tell exactly what this is. It could also be due to a hernia, or abscess and the only way to tell for sure would be a physical examination and needle aspirate. The best option is to have your vet reevaluate Oreo to ensure all is OK. I hope that helps and Oreo gets better soon.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Swelling after a bee/wasp sting shouldn't last more than about 24 hours. If this is still swollen then I would be worried about infection/inflammation secondary to the sting, or a problem unrelated to the sting. I would recommend having Kodie seen by your vet and they will do a physical exam, and will check his lymph nodes and likely will want to take some x-rays of that limb. With his age we have to worry about a possible cancer causing the swelling. I would recommend a visit with the vet as soon as possible. Best of luck with Kodie.

This could be from an injury or this could be edema due to a systemic disease or infection. It is hard to say. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I would recommend having x-rays taken of the foot and leg. I would also recommend blood testing to see if there are any changes that might suggest why the foot is swollen. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.