Large Swelling on Puppys Hind Legs

Has anyone seen anything like this or know what is causing it? I have took her to 2 vets, 4 visits and spent over $300 in a week and no answers!! She is just now 8 weeks old and this has been going on for 1 and 1/2 weeks. The right leg started first, then 5 days later the left started swelling. She is in no pain, does not limp, there is no heat, and she stays indoors. They have ruled out the joints. She is an Australian Shepherd. Thank you!!

Poor girl - it looks as if it should be causing pain, but I'm glad to hear its not. I don't have any experience of anything like this but just wanted to wish you all the best for finding out what is causing the swelling.

Big hugs to you both xx

The only thing i can think of are large cysts

Surely if they were, being seen by two vets and four vet visits would have picked that up?

sorry, no idea about really

but could it be kinda "accumulating of water" <- no clue about the real translation
something like that maybe?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edema

that does not hurt either

Poor puppy! I take it she's not insured?

I've never seen anything like this before.

What types of tests did the vets do? x-rays? fine needle aspiration? Is the swelling hard or squishy?

I wonder if she's allergic to something or maybe a bug bite. Can you see any prick marks?

Sorry about all the questions.

I hope all gets resolved.

I had the very same thing with a previous gsd of mine, but it was above the hock area (knee area on the back leg?). I thought it was muscle related, as it is muscle on the inside of the leg higher up, and she too ended up with the same on both legs.

I had a very good South african vet at the time and he immediately said "hamstring injury", and having had horses I knew that hamstring injuries would make the dog lift the leg in a different action when walking. Have you watched how your dog walks from behind? If he snaps the leg up rather than lifting it normally in a walk, or bunny hops when running (mine ended up moving both hind legs together when running) then it could be the same as my dog had and that vet of mine was right at the time I honestly don't know what it was, so I sort of believed him, and it never caused her any problems.

I would say, that the lump effect my dog had was completely the same as seen in your dog here, almost like feeling an "egg" when running your hands down inbetween her hind legs on the inside, and quite hard and solid to the touch?

If nothing else, at least you know somebody else has experienced something extremely similar but in a different place, and I hope you can get to the bottom of it. I would suggest you ask your own vet about this hamstring theory or maybe Google it? I still can't 100% buy that theory though, like I said, having seen horses with hamstring injuries and the difference in gait with an injury such as that.

I will also say, my dog never, ever got rid of hers.

The only unexplained large swelling I've experience of was on one of my cats. It came up sort of round and under her chin.

The vet at the time said he thought it was nothing serious and probably 'stress related' (we'd just moved to Cornwall and he was VERY stressed - a very nervous cat)

But he did draw some fluid off of it with a syringe to confirm it was nothing to worry about - and it was just clearish fluid.

I'm surprised they didn't at least take a sample or whatever?

I'm no vet but I have seen similar in a shar pei a few years ago it was a build up of proteins in the muscle tissues, resulted in swellings on the legs like this and then built up in the organs. It had a long medical name I am afraid I cannot remember. I do seem to recall it is more common in shar peis than other breeds though so may find more help from a shar pei owners forum ??