Five days ago I posted a thread where I thought my 20 month old GSD had a sliver in his paw and was growling at me. Well it turns out the problem was he ran into a bench while running around the yard. I witnessed it and it did not seem to bother him at all, in fact he was as active as ever the next day, but the following day he when I woke to take him out he would not move and was in obvious pain. I took him to the vet, the x-rayed his leg and did not find any problems. They gave me Rimadyl and told me to let him rest. Well, his leg has swelled to twice the size of the other leg and it is all the way into in foot. I called the vet and asked how to control the swelling and they said to just keep him quiet. Also, my dog will not even get up to go to relieve himself unless I make him and he will barely eat anything.

I am kind of freaking out about this, I try to elevate it some and ice it a lot but it does not seem to be helping. Has anyone else seen something like this or had a case with severe swelling that can give me some advice?

Is he running a temp? Norm is 101-102. If its running high I think your dealing with an infection and needs to be on antibiotics right away. I'm not a vet, use to raise hogs.

I need to add that this morning he has diarhea that is mostly blood. I am taking him back into the vet today because of the presence of blood.

His temp is 102.7

Dennis is right about temperature for puppies (101 to 102) but for adult dogs, normal temp is 99-101. 102 is running a slight fever - not dangerous but something to notice. If the leg is swollen - the whole leg???? - where is the swelling "centered" - if it's in the paw, maybe he got something jammed in him - a splinter or something. If not, he could have broken a toe, or fractured a bone in his foot. Personally I would take him to an orthopedic vet - one that knows how to take x-rays - I've said it before but I'll say it again - I HATE VETS who give the owner a pat on the back, Rimadyl or Prednisone to mask the problem and make both owner and dog "feel better" and never find out what the cause of the problem is. In order to treat the problem, you must find out what the problem IS. The fever can be caused by the inflammation - but I would suspect infection. Something's going on that might become a much bigger problem if you don't get it figured out soon. Make some phone calls today (before it becomes Sunday) and take him to a vet that knows what they are doing. Tell the vet first-thing that you want him to find out what is causing the swelling and fever. Don't leave with medication unless he finds out exactly what the problem is! Don't pay for his services until he does his job and helps your dog!

molly

Molly, I totally agree, I hate vets that is why I posted this thread. I dont think it is a problem with the foot, even though the swelling goes from his upper thigh to his foot. It was obvious a few days ago when the swelling was not so bad that it started in his knee area. But now the bright red blood in is stool is really scaring me, I am taking him back to the vet and will not leave without finding out what the problem is.

Brian, blood is never good, but bright red is better than dark, usually. Dark usually signifies more serious conditions, while bright can be caused by simple irritation, medication, excess strain, etc. Mine once had bright red in diarrhea after worming. Anyway, I'd go to a new vet TODAY. Jet's poor leg should not be that swollen. I disagree with sending you off with Rimadyl. That does absolutely nothing to treat the ailment, and it's not a very nice drug, either. It can do some nasty things.

Are you absolutely positive that the bench injury is the root? I ask this because swelling like that is unusual without the presence of a broken bone. If he sprained it, it would've hurt immediately, you'd think. You may be dealing with an infection, caused by something you didn't witness. I don't know what the climate is where you are, but could he have been bitten by something?

Of course I'm not a vet, but I would go to a holistic vet if you have to-someone who will find out what actually happened to Jet, and will correct the problem, not someone who will just treat the symptoms, or just the pain in this case. I know I'm rambling now, but I can't believe that a dog with a leg as swollen as you say was sent home with a glorified pain killer, and no answers except that his leg is not broken. Infuriating! Maybe ask your breeder if there's a vet she'd recommend? Good luck and keep me posted.

(Ok, maybe I have a soft spot for Jet because he looks so much like Caleb. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Jenni, I have taken him back to the vet today, he is still there now, and I am 99% sure the cause of the swelling is from the injury I witnessed. I say that because he is never, never out of my site. I do not let him run loose, but one thing the vet did mention is that it could be a piece of wood penatrated his leg and that could be causing the intense swelling.

I am no fan of vets but just to clear things up, when I first went to the vet on Tuesday morning, there wasnt any swelling, only a small bump where the leg hit the bench. The main swelling didnt show up until Thursday morning at which time I called the vet and they said dont worry and keep him quiet (which did not help at all).

Thanks for you thoughts and concern, I will add to this thread when I find something out.

Thanks for clearing that up. I couldn't imagine what kind of vet would send a dog home like that! Do keep us posted.

There may be water on the joint from the impact. My pup had this recently on his ankle. The swelling got bad and the vet drained the water off with a large syringe. It took two visits, but it's fine now.