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Greyhound With Extensive Swelling And Massive Bruising


Guest brindlebutt

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Guest brindlebutt

I have a 10 yr old greyhound. 2 weeks ago, he had sudden onset of an enormous swelling on his wrist joint, and puffiness all the way down the paw. It was accompanied by dark colored skin all up his leg, and all the wway down to his belly, except, for some reason, where the belt of his winter jacket is. (I'd kept it on to comfort him). The wrist was very painful. The vet did x rays, blood work, urinalysis, coagulation tests - all perfectly normal for a greyhound. She shrugged it off, thought it must be infection or abscess, sent him home with prednisone and Cipro. In two days, it was gone.

 

Two weeks past. He then had sudden onset of an enormous swelling on his elbow joint, all the way up his shoulder, and extremely painful. He even has a little fig-sized "balloon" of liquid in the skin near his elbow. I saw another vet, but had nothing to do with competence of the first. We went over the history, I explained the symptoms, and how he passed 100% all of the testing of two weeks previous. She asked me if he could have possibly ingested rat poison, and I said absolutely not - no such thing is kept in my house, and the dogs, in this cold weather, have been confined to their dog pen to relieve themselves. She said the symptoms were very similar - which kinda freaked me out. She twice aspirated the swellings and found no pus, no pathogens - only blood. So they are massive hematomas. She said he must have suffered trauma, and I said he's been inactive during this winter cold spell and no way he could have had trauma to cause such massive hematomas, and isn't it weird they were sort of traveling around his joints? She prescribed a different antibiotic, more prednisone, and Lasix.

 

I am about to take him back for a recheck. He is in terrible pain, and the swelling has not gone down, and the deep, dark redness all the way down his belly and leg is much worse.

 

I talked to another vet who I know informally, and they are all scratching their heads over this one. He said to try to treat it with compression bandages, and maybe the blood would reabsorb.

 

It has to be an underlying disorder. Can't be genetic, or it wouldn't show up until he was 10, right? It couldn't have to do with his racing career, because it didn't show up until he was 10, right? And why the dark red skin all the way down his belly?

 

I'm scared. I will see what the vets say, but I don't think they know. One is from Ohio State, and has a lot of experience with greys.

 

I am going to have his blood tested for rat poison, just to relieve my mind, or clarify that some cruel person has put poison in their pen. (I have a crazy 68 yr old neighbor which a narcissistic personality disorder who is obsessed with me, and since I "rejected" him, he's been acting out. I think it is unlikely he could be this cruel, but the way to hurt me would be to hurt my dogs. He has easy access to the dog pen.)

 

Any thoughts about this strange ailment? It had very sudden onset, and happened twice, with two joints effected 2 weeks apart. He has suffered no trauma than a healthy dog would had symptoms like this unless he was hit by a bus, and he's been inside and living quietly. Huge swelling, one pocket of blood, great pain, and massive red bruising. It has to be a blood disorder, but he passed the coag test.

 

Please pray they can diagnose it and treat it.

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Guest Energy11

Wow! Sorry you and your greyt are going through this. To me, it defiintely sound like a blood clotting problem. I'd definitely have this vet today check the PLATLET count.

 

I surely HOPE it wasn't your neighbor. If it is rat poison, or a clotting problem, then at least the vets would have something to go on.

 

I really have no more advice, but, just to HOPE they get to the bottom of this, soon! Sending you love, and many prayers for a diagnosis today, and a cure.

 

Dee and The Five

 

 

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Darkness in the belly and leg could be blood pooling to the lowest point.

 

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Guest brindlebutt

Wow! Sorry you and your greyt are going through this. To me, it defiintely sound like a blood clotting problem. I'd definitely have this vet today check the PLATLET count.

 

I surely HOPE it wasn't your neighbor. If it is rat poison, or a clotting problem, then at least the vets would have something to go on.

 

I really have no more advice, but, just to HOPE they get to the bottom of this, soon! Sending you love, and many prayers for a diagnosis today, and a cure.

 

Dee and The Five

 

Among the weird things about this condition is that they did check his platelet count, and it was normal. Bizarre. He's passing all the tests - no abnormalities have turned up so far.

 

He had chest x ray today - clear in heart and lungs.

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Guest brindlebutt

Wow! Sorry you and your greyt are going through this. To me, it defiintely sound like a blood clotting problem. I'd definitely have this vet today check the PLATLET count.

 

I surely HOPE it wasn't your neighbor. If it is rat poison, or a clotting problem, then at least the vets would have something to go on.

 

I really have no more advice, but, just to HOPE they get to the bottom of this, soon! Sending you love, and many prayers for a diagnosis today, and a cure.

 

Dee and The Five

 

When the disorder appeared two weeks ago, his platelet count was normal. All he had was a very slight elevation of WBC.

 

Darkness in the belly and leg could be blood pooling to the lowest point.

 

You ain't kidding! This disorder is accelerating rapidly. He went from the dark coloration on his skin last night to this very morning having a soft "tube" shape pooling of blood hanging down from the skin from his chest to his belly.

 

Sounds like it could be vasculitis. The treatment is pred.

 

Sending prayers!

 

My Heart had it twice and then it never came back.

 

No vet has mentioned vasculitis yet. I am greytful to you for mentioning this to me. I will research it myself (the people with the white coats on sometimes need a little coaching) and mention it when she calls me about the latest blood tests.

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I really hate to say this but have an ultrasound.

 

It could be cancer. Splenic/liver cancers when they rupture don't clot. The body doesn't realize it's bleeding so the clotting mechanism doesn't get started.

 

I'm sorry to point this out, but I've had two with this type of cancer.

 

 

I hope it's not. Good luck.

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Guest brindlebutt

I really hate to say this but have an ultrasound.

 

It could be cancer. Splenic/liver cancers when they rupture don't clot. The body doesn't realize it's bleeding so the clotting mechanism doesn't get started.

 

I'm sorry to point this out, but I've had two with this type of cancer.

 

 

I hope it's not. Good luck.

Thank you. I appreciate your frankness.

 

Reading up on bleeding disorders with these symptoms, cancer was on the list, so this was not a surprise suggestion.

 

Whether the news is good or bad, I want to know as soon as possible.

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Sending well wishes for your boy....

 

Our girlie had vasculitis and was put on a drip for three days. She's better now but it can re-occurr appartently. Hope and pray it's not cancer as was suggested.

Run free our beloved Sir Snowy, Pip, Queenie, Sadie, Tess & Rosie until we meet again......I would rather feel the thorn than to never see the rose

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Guest windycove

Could it be a spider bite? My girl was bitten and was being paralyzed - the vet thought it was menningitis. Just another thought. Know you are desperate. Prayers and best wishes.

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Guest abbysmom

I also thought of vasculitis. One of my girls had a bout with this some years ago--the sudden onset of bruising (dark red/purple) and the hanging pockets of fluid sound very familiar. (I think we increased her pred. dosage in response.) I wish you all the best with this.

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I would contact OSU's Greyhound Health and Wellness Program. Dr Couto is a hematologist as well as an Oncologist, the info you need to contact them is at the bottom of my siggy. All consults are free and you or your vet can contact them.

 

Sending prayers and hugs for you both.

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I really hate to say this but have an ultrasound.

 

It could be cancer. Splenic/liver cancers when they rupture don't clot. The body doesn't realize it's bleeding so the clotting mechanism doesn't get started.

 

I'm sorry to point this out, but I've had two with this type of cancer.

 

 

I hope it's not. Good luck.

 

I didn't want to write this, but since someone already has, this is how we lost John E. He had two episodes of bruising like this and was fine for weeks apart. We thought he just injured himself, some way. Then he filled up with blood and died. My vet thinks he had a spleen or liver cancer that ruptured. I am hoping that this is not the case for your boy.

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Guest Energy11

I, too was thinking the same thing, but didn't want to write it.

 

Today, my Goldie dodged a "the OS bullet!" ... I am praying, and yes, this praying and white light stuff WORKS ... that this will NOT be the case for your baby!

 

TONS OF PRAYERS AND WHITE LIGHT! Dee and The Five

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Good luck and everyone has given good advice. I just want to chip in on the possible rat poison. If it is warfarin then his PT, a clotting time test will be prolonged. Treatment is to administer vitamin K. My husband takes this for his mechanical heart valve and has had several instances of bad bleeding. He almost died after gallbladdersurgery because they got his coumadin (same drug) up too high too fast. He was 21 days in the hospital and bruised black from his armpits to his mid thigh.

I'm sure they tested clotting times, look at those results to see if any are high.

Goodluck.

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  • 8 years later...

Hello! I came across this forum and thread while trying to do some research on my greyhoundscondition and your thread hit the nail on the head. He is currently in an ICU vet and has been there for 3 day so far with no real diagnosis. But his symptom profile matches exactly the onset and characteristics as your greyhound. Did you ever get an answer or diagnosis for your greyhound? Im just trying to help get some answers and direction. Thanks

Edited by Mmcclew
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