Swelling inside leg.

Dr. Marie replied:

Interesting. I would never say that a dog is too old to spay unless she had age related issues like kidney or liver problems. In my opinion, if a dog's blood tests are normal then I am quite comfortable doing a spay.

I'm quite concerned by what you have described. Is there any way that you could take a picture of the swelling on her leg? If so, you can email the photo to photos@askavetquestion.com.

I can think of a few possibilities. One is that this is something called an inguinal hernia. This happens where the muscles in the groin weaken and some of the intestines can pouch out underneath the skin. If this is what she has then only surgery can fix it. It's not a painful condition but if it goes unfixed then it can be serious if the intestines get injured or get trapped or twisted.

The next possibility is that this is some kind of tumor. It could be a mammary tumor. Half of all mammary tumors are benign and half are malignant (i.e. cancerous). If this area is red and inflamed then I am concerned that it could be a cancerous tumor. Unfortunately mammary cancers are quite common in dogs who are not spayed.

It's also possible that this is something really non threatening like a fat lump called a lipoma. However, a lipoma should not be inflamed.

It's also possible that this is some kind of an abscess. If so, she'll need antibiotics prescribed by the vet. Some abscesses need surgery in order to heal.

It does sound like you should have your vet take a look.


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Dr. Marie replied:

OK, here is your photo:



It's hard to say too much from looking at the photo as it is a little unclear. What I can say, is that I am concerned by what I am seeing. I don't like the fact that it is so purple. This concerns me that there is some bleeding under the skin or severe bruising.

I would highly advise that you have your vet look at this!