Excessive Bruising

[constancecaldes]

My greyhound has sudden excessive bruising on her outer hind, inner back legs and stomach. I took her to an emergency vet. They suspected clotting and or liver issues as possible causes. All blood work came back normal. An ultrasound of her belly near the bruising was normal. So, the cause is unknown. Vasculitis is a possibility, but the culprit (bacteria, bug bite, other allergy) is a complete mystery. She is 9 years old and has been very healthy the 7 years she has spent with me other than bad teeth. She is on an antibiotic in case and also something for Fibrin. No one I speak to has ever had a dog with this problem. I am scared that there is some unknown underlying condition but am hoping its a strange allergic reaction. She is happy, eats, drinks and behaves normally. Any input would be appreciated. We moved into a newly built condo 5 weeks ago, so she was stressed.

[macoduck]

Did she have a recent dental or blood draw? Any vigorous activity where she may have twisted her body, strained a leg, bumped her chest or belly hard on something?

Blood from bruising is going to pool down to the lower body - bottom of chest, abdomen, and legs.

Rarely do greyhounds have von Wildebrant (sp?) bleeding disorder. One of mine had spontaneous bleeding from a microchip insertion, leaving a huge puddle of blood on the floor. Didn't bother him a bit and it did all pool down his chest, legs, and abdomen. Resolved after a week or so.

If you have a Sharpie pen draw a line around the current outline of the bruising and take pictures, especially if it spreads.

Ask your vet about Amicar (aminocaproic acid) to stop the bleeding. Many vets do not stock it o you may need a prescription written to take to your pharmacy.
Amicar can be very pricey, so ask your vet to instead write a prescription for tranexamic acid which is much less expensive. I get it at the Walmart pharmacy. Note that the TA is used primarily for heavily menstruating women so this would be an off label use in a dog. Do a search on this forum for both Amicar and tranexamic acid for more info.

Do you have the lab results? Does your vet know that greyhounds have different values than other breeds?
Greyhounds
RBC  7.4 - 9.0
Hgb  19.0 - 21.5
PCV  55% - 65% 
WBC  3.5 - 6.5
Platelets  80,000 - 200,000

Hopefully another Greytalk member will have a link to the OSU article on greyhound bleeding issues.

Keep us posted!

 

[Time4ANap]

Ohio State Article linked below. Also - if you aren;t finding answers, it may be worth having a consult with Dr, Cuoto who wrtoe the article. He is in private practice now and will do a consult online as well as consult with your vet if needed. There is a charge but for things like this, it can be well worth it. https://www.coutovetconsultants.com/

https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/sites/default/files/import/files/greyhound_pdfs/WhyGreyhoundsBleed.pdf

Please keep us updated. 

[constancecaldes]

11 hours ago, macoduck said:

Did she have a recent dental or blood draw? Any vigorous activity where she may have twisted her body, strained a leg, bumped her chest or belly hard on something?

Blood from bruising is going to pool down to the lower body - bottom of chest, abdomen, and legs.

Rarely do greyhounds have von Wildebrant (sp?) bleeding disorder. One of mine had spontaneous bleeding from a microchip insertion, leaving a huge puddle of blood on the floor. Didn't bother him a bit and it did all pool down his chest, legs, and abdomen. Resolved after a week or so.

If you have a Sharpie pen draw a line around the current outline of the bruising and take pictures, especially if it spreads.

Ask your vet about Amicar (aminocaproic acid) to stop the bleeding. Many vets do not stock it o you may need a prescription written to take to your pharmacy.
Amicar can be very pricey, so ask your vet to instead write a prescription for tranexamic acid which is much less expensive. I get it at the Walmart pharmacy. Note that the TA is used primarily for heavily menstruating women so this would be an off label use in a dog. Do a search on this forum for both Amicar and tranexamic acid for more info.

Do you have the lab results? Does your vet know that greyhounds have different values than other breeds?
Greyhounds
RBC  7.4 - 9.0
Hgb  19.0 - 21.5
PCV  55% - 65% 
WBC  3.5 - 6.5
Platelets  80,000 - 200,000

Hopefully another Greytalk member will have a link to the OSU article on greyhound bleeding issues.

Keep us posted!

 

Thank you for your replies. The urgent care vet did put her on Aminocaproic acid and drew boundary lines with a marker. it is not spreading after 36 hours. She had not had any blood draws and had always been on leash.

[macoduck]

Wow, that's awesome that the urgent care vet took those steps.  Keep an eye on her urine color in case it gets darker than normal. Whenever you do book a dental, you can start the Amicar a day before and continue it for a few days post-dental.

[greysmom]

It's in my mind that certain blood-related cancers can show up as uncontrolled bleeding with no initial incident.  I would definitely contact Dr Couto.  Please let us know how she's doing now. 

[constancecaldes]

Her bruises are fading, especially on her hind end. She is eating and happy. She wants to play which I am not allowing. I didn’t notice a fluid filled bump on her back today to the left of her spine. It is not tender and it’s definitely not a tumor but rather very much moving fluid. I think if people are going to make comments that they think it might be certain types of blood cancer they should give more information because that’s very alarming. Her blood tests are all normal.