Dog with hygroma on head
My dog (10mo female neutered mixed breed) developed a bump on the top of her head approximately 2 1/2 weeks ago. The bump is located on the top of her occiptal bump. I took my dog to the vet for x-rays which revealed an area of soft tissue around the occipital scalp. There was no bone involvement. My vet told me the bump was most likely a seroma or hygroma caused by trauma to the area (in other words, my dog bumped her head). She gave me a course of Rimadyl (anti-inflammatory medication) for my dog and told me to "hotpack" the area and come back in two weeks. Two weeks later I returned to the vet. The dog's bump was a little smaller, but still evident (I was not very successful with the hotpacking). I was and am worried about the possibility that it may be a tumour. I asked the vet if we could draw some fluid from the lump to be sent for testing. The vet did that. The test came back clear (in other words, no abnormal cells in the fluid). However, my vet said the only way to rule out the possibility of a tumour is to do a biopsy of the tissue. Since the vet drew fluid off my dog's bump, it has got bigger. I am now really worried. My vet suggested we wait a month before we do surgery. I am having a hard time waiting, but neither do I want to subject my dog to surgery unless it's absolutely necessary. In herself my dog is doing fine and is eating and playing normally. Do you have any experience with the sort of lump I have described? Why do you think it is growing? Can my dog live with the lump? Do you think it could be a tumour? Do you have any other ideas? Thanks for letting me know. |
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Dog with problems walking
When I came home from work yesterday, Sparrow(6yo female neutered mix breed), who stays in my basement with access to the crawl space under the house, was having trouble going up the stairs. She seemed sick - hot nose & depressed. She has a knot midway up her tail about the size of a quarter. Her hindquarters are slightly swollen and tender. Her behind was dirty with dust, some fecal matter, and little black dots that looked like flea eggs (she doesn't have fleas - she's on med from the vet.) It seemed she had been dragging her bottom on the ground. My gut feeling is that she may have been bitten by a spider or god forbid a snake (in my basement?!!) but I'm also worried that she's hurt her back. She can still walk - even jump on the bed - but she is not moving correctly. She is still eating and drinking. She's not any worse this morning, but no better. She's not limping, but she acts stiff - is not moving her hind legs with ease, but I don't see where they look out of whack. For example, when she goes up steps, she just goes one step at a time, very slowly and carefully when she usually bounds & skips steps. It doesn't look like she's knuckling over, and her feet and legs look normal. Another thought after babying her this morning - she has had trouble in the past with her anal glands being blocked. Usually I try to massage & expel them when I bathe her. I haven't noticed her dragging her butt, which usually happens when her glands are filled and need expelling, but is it possible this could be the problem? Or constipation?
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