Hi there, My ten month old pup has just come back from a walk with Hubby across our local fields. I noticed when I was playing with him that he had some red, what looked like, gnat bites near his armpit, they have now gone down and he has a swelling now under the armpit. The bites have nearly gone but the lump is still there, I'm thinking it may be his lymph glands reacting to the bites. Hubby seems to think he ran through some nettles. :-\ He's fine in himself and isn't licking or biting the area. Will see what happens overnight and speak to vet tomorrow if still there, in the meantime is there anything I can give him, I've heard Puriton is ok for dogs but want to check first.
Re: Lump Under Armpit I have been told that Piriton can be given to dogs and have given mine one tablet when needed and he has been fine.
Re: Lump Under Armpit Poor boy I would wait and see how he is - if he gets itchy or licking the area, then think about piriton. Hope it's just nettles
Re: Lump Under Armpit Poor lad! If it's not itchy then he might not need any medication. It might take a few days to a week to go down, but I wouldn't be feeling too worried. Your plan to chat to the vet tomorrow sounds sensible. Piriton has a sedating effect, I think. If you do want to give him something, other human antihistamines without a sedating effect are fine to use as well, like Zyrtec (our dog has two a day for allergies). Many dogs don't respond to antihistamines though, so it may or may not help. Hope the lump goes down quickly
Re: Lump Under Armpit Hi All, Well the lump has gone but he is very quiet. Hubby says I am being too paranoid as sometimes he gets hot.....he is a very hot dog. The heating is off now (I never have it higher than 17) and he is lying next to me on the sofa, Hubby also said he has hardly slept today so it could just be that. I've checked he isn't bloated and he isn't so I think he's fine. Thanks for your advice, think I will get some Zyrtec, just for the cupboard in case for future. X
Re: Lump Under Armpit Hi All, Just an update, I called the vet who advised not to give him any antihistamines and said to bring him in if the lump didn't go down. Went and saw the vet and he said to give it another 5 days and see if it goes down, it didn't so have been back. They've given him an ultrasound, x Ray, taken a biopsy and have drained it of thick fluid. The vet is still scratching his head on this, he said there is a foreign object that he can easily bend, he thinks it's plant like material. I'm still convinced it's parasitic as he had three bite marks there. We are, seeing him again on tomorrow whereby he will hopefully have the results of the biopsy. He said that whatever happens he will need surgery to remove it and will call in a soft tissue surgeon to undertake it (rough cost around £1500 - £2000 ) our insurance should cover this hopefully. The vet said he'd never seen anything like this before, the pup is happy in himself and doesn't lick or bite the area.......he is not happy though that the vet wants him walked only on lead.....we live in the country so he loves chasing balls!
Re: Lump Under Armpit What do you think bit him in that area? You said he had three bite marks there. I wonder if that is what has caused an infection? Though you say the vet can feel an object that bends!
Re: Lump Under Armpit Very strange! Maybe a splinter of somekind under his skin? What you think are bite marks might actually be the entry point....
Re: Lump Under Armpit Shame about the exercise restrictions but these things are short in the grand scheme of things. Hopefully he'll be sorted soon
Re: Lump Under Armpit I'd be thinking grass seed. The bite marks might be an entry point, or skin ruptured from an abscess. Just guessing though really!! Good thing you've got vet insurance!! Must be a tricky area to operate on.
Re: Lump Under Armpit Gosh,at least you know it's not awfully sinister....just a mystery....come back and tell us what they find x
Re: Lump Under Armpit Thanks all. Just had a phone call from the vet, the lab results of the biopsy came back which was consistent with synovial fluid leak, although the vet isn't totally convinced. He would prefer to delay any surgery until we have tried everything. So, the pup can only have three 15 mins walks a day on lead, no jumping etc. then we need to ice pack the area for 15 mins four times a day. He wants to see him again in two weeks, he is still stumped. He asked if there was any lameness or any injury at any time to that area, which I said no to either. Personally, I know what I saw were three red lumps (like when we have a gnat bite), so I'm still thinking its a wierd bite or parasite. I asked about the foreign 'bendy' object and he said it could be fibrous tissue where trauma has taken place. Finally, he said if nothing changes in two weeks, they will inject the area with dye and take another x Ray and then on to surgery. In the meantime he is going to speak to the soft tissue surgeon and see if they had dealings with something so strange. I just hope it's not elbow dysplacia as I have been so careful with stairs etc, I mentioned it to the vet and he didn't think it was. In the meantime....anyone know how we are supposed to ice pack a wriggly pup? Vet said 5 mins on then 5 mins off and on and so on for 15 mins. Am thinking of trying when he is asleep!!
Re: Lump Under Armpit [quote author=MontysMum link=topic=10558.msg158995#msg158995 date=1429894242] In the meantime....anyone know how we are supposed to ice pack a wriggly pup? Vet said 5 mins on then 5 mins off and on and so on for 15 mins. Am thinking of trying when he is asleep!! [/quote] This is for a pup with a leg injury, you might not have to do the floor thing if your dog is not injured and will stand still, or will come to no harm if he jumps around (but it does sound like your instructions are not to risk jumping around). Pup on a very short lead, two people on the floor (adults), on a blanket, with a stack of treats - it's best if they have their backs against something and are robust enough to hold a Labrador at floor level. One person at the collar and treat eating end, the other person dealing with the ice pack. Start with the ice pack wrapped in a towel to reduce the coldness of it, and use a soft ice pack. Method one: Click and treat for the pup lying still on the blanket, good side down, with one person holding his collar, and the other gradually introducing the ice pack, click and treating for the ice pack approaching, touching, staying one second...and so on. Reduce padding around the ice pack gradually until the pup can feel the full coldness. Method two: Get a kong stuffed with everything your pup has ever dreamed of - seriously good stuff. Person at collar end feeds constantly, massively fantastic treats, and tries to get pup distracted with the all-his-dreams-have-come-true kong. Other person introduces the ice pack just for so long as the pup can stay distracted (or for the required time, whichever comes first).
