Hygroma in large dogs

[cnigh]

It looks like my dog has a hygroma on her right elbow. I noticed it yesterday and got her to the vet right away. Not sure if it’s infected or not. But she is on antibiotics and benadryl. The lump looked smaller last night. But was big again this morning. It hasn’t changed today.

Any experience with this? What should I look out for? Will it go away or go hard and remain like a capped hock?

I googled it and have more questions than answers.

[Houndhill]

How old is your dog?

Irish Wolfhound youngsters get elbow bursas (hygromas) very frequently, and the general rule is to leave them alone, and they will go away on their own. Unless the bursa is red, hot, or infected looking, do not allow your vet to drain it!!!

If they are drained, they are likely to get infected and cause all manner of problems.

I know they are unsightly, but they will almost always resolve with time. They can be softball sized or even grapefruit sized, truly ugly, but please try to refrain from having it drained. It will just fill up again and might well become infected.

Some people have had good luck with the Dogleg- type padded bandages. They are often caused by the young dog throwing itself down on hard surfaces. You can try to provide padded surfaces and soft beds, but often they prefer to lie on something cool.

My youngsters have had a great many elbow and butt bursas over the years. All have eventually gone away with no treatment.

This is a very common question for new IW owners…I think they need a support group!

[cnigh]

She was 1 yr old in April and is a slim 90lbs. I’m glad it will go away with time.

She has all sorts of soft surfaces to sleep on. But likes the hard wood because it’s cooler. I may get her a new bed. Hopefully she won’t eat it.

I will not get it drained and hope for no infection. It looks deeply bruised. She might have banged on something.

[Houndhill]

May have banged it on the floor. They do tend, at that age, to fling themselves down. Mostly in IWs they go from 9-18 months, sometimes a little longer though.

Hang in there.

What do you mean by it looking “deeply bruised”?

[cnigh]

The skin under her fur is a deep purple colour. Still no change on meds. What would look like if infected? I think I feel a bit of heat in it, but not sure.

[cnigh]

Here are a couple of p![](ctures

[IMG]http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp239/cnigh_2008/Mobile%20Uploads/20150918_133420_zpssregxyzf.jpg)

http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp239/cnigh_2008/Mobile%20Uploads/20150918_1333010_zpsduk4iiqu.jpg

[Houndhill]

That looks fine to me not alarming at all.

[cnigh]

Great to hear. Thank you

[Horsegal984]

That looks better than a lot I’ve seen. The skin on the elbows there tends to be much darker, so I’m not concerned about the color having seen it. I was from your description however, just another “proof” that a picture is worth a 1000 words.

Should go away with time, though something like Dogleggs may help to prevent worsening/reoccurrence. They tend to be a pretty common issue in Mastiffs, esp English Mastiffs.

[cnigh]

I think I am just afraid of another major illness. 2 years latrr and I still cry for Shade.

With Amber, there was no change until after her meds last night. Now it is hard and smaller. She has an appointment with the vet this morning at 1030 for a recheck. I hope to make it a good but quick experience this time. Im going to walk her there, hopefully it will help any frayed nerves.

[MistyBlue]

![](aybe look into getting your big dog a cot…I’ve always had big dogs, most really fuzzy and they definitely prefer cool spots to sleep. But they need more support.
I started using the cots and the more open weave and air below them keep them even cooler than the floor does, but it’s much softer and has more support. Nice thing is, since many buyers are big dog owners they tend to come in pretty decent sizes.
(I hated trying to find beds for big dogs, they were always WAY too small)

Something like this:
[IMG]https://img1.etsystatic.com/000/0/5389412/il_fullxfull.223109003.jpg)

[cnigh]

I hear you on the dog beds. She has had 4 in the past year. She ends up chewing them to bits and spitting it out all over the place. I don’t know if she would chew up a cot, but she kinda ate the kiddy pool.

Vet said to keep an eye on and stay on meds for 7 days. Go figure, the lump was soft again by the time we walked there. 15 min walk. She is not limping at all now.

She was nervous but no sign of aggression. She licked the vets hands and the techs face. She got half a pack of lunch meat as a reward.

Apparently my other dog lost it because I left her at home. She was howling and wouldn’t listen to my husband. He even tried to play ball (her favorite game), but nope. So I’m taking her to the woods to play.