Help ! Any suggestions how to help treat a Hygroma on my 7 mos. old GSD female?

Thanks !

Gail and Togwotee

My 2 year old Dutchie bitch has/d one on her right elbow.

The vet suggested that I put something around it that would pad it, so she wouldnt keep hitting it against the ground when lying down, or hitting it against walls etc.

We tried a bunch of different things and didn't care for them. Mostly because they would affect range of motion, or restrict airflow (like bandaging), since this would have to be a long term (6+ months) thing to protect her elbow.

What I ended up doing was going to C&A and buying a kids wool sweater, the thickest I could find. I cut it short at the waiste, cut one sleeve short to her elbow, and on her bad leg I folded the sleeve double and stitched it in place, so that she had 2 thick layers of wool sweater between her elbow and anything she would lie down on or walk into.

She had the hygroma on her elbow without any treatment (other than padding her crate) for about 2 or 3 months with no change. After putting the sweater on her, within about 2 months it started going down. Right now almost all the fluid is gone from her elbow, and the loose skin that was once filled with fluid seems to be tightening up slowly.

I am told that it is caused by trauma to the elbow, and that if you can prevent it from getting traumatized again for a long time (at least 6 months) that it can go away on its own. The downside is that once the dog has it, it can easily come back in many cases, which is why I will leave the padding on for a long time to let it heal as well as possible.

If it doesnt go away on its own then the dog will need surgery to remove it.