hygroma

[TravisBlanchard]

I was just wondering if people would share their experiences with hygroma and what has worked, to what extent it worked, thoughts on draining, how did the dog legges work if you used them and so on. They just popped up on my guy about 3 days ago and since then I've not allowed him to lay on hard surfaces, except for when hes in his crate and pushes the bed aside to lay on the crate floor, and I'm not around or am asleep. It's hard though because he will lay on his bed for so long than he wants to lay on the floor, and I have to constantly bring him back to his bed or put him in his crate with his bed, which sucks cause I'm home so he should be able to be out. I've been making sure to keep him tired so he wants to lay down and relax, it's just a matter of making him stay on his bed. I have the ac and fans on to try and keep him cool on his bed but that doesn't seem to be doing much, he still prefers the floor. Any suggestions? I give kongs full of frozen peanut butter sometimes but I can't give him them 24/7.

[brunie's mom]

Found this on 'marvistavet':
The Uncomplicated Hygroma

The simple hygroma is not painful and is mostly of cosmetic concern. Changing the dog’s bedding generally solves the problem though sometimes special pads or bandages for the elbows must be constructed. If the dog begins to lie on softer more pliant materials, the hygroma is likely to simply resolve over 2-3 weeks. It is best not to tap off the fluid as any time the hygroma is pierced, infection can be introduced, creating a “complicated” hygroma.

Looks like sleeping on soft things will help. You could also try to construct an elbow pad...maybe something you could find at Shoppers Drug Mart that would cover his elbow such as a wrist pad...and put it on his elbow?

Once the weather cools down...he should be more inclined to lay down on something soft.

[toobad]

I have a male with the same problem and you need to just let them go away on their own. Any good vet will reccomend NOT trying to drain them because they are so close to a important joint and IF the joint gets infected you have bigger problems. Try your best to keep them on something soft but believe me when I say I know how hard that is to do. I took my male the the USRC Nationals with one and the judge mentioned it in his critique. My vet suggested trying to make a doughnut out of soft foam and taping it onto his elbow because there was no way he would lay on anything soft. It eventually went away but they sure are ugly while they last.

Some may come on right behind me and say draining is fine but my vet REFUSED to drain one and he knew we were going to a show

[TravisBlanchard]

Yeah I have only heard bad things about draining. My breeder and I discussed it as soon as I found it as she was a vet tech and she said not to have it drained, just to try and keep him on soft surfaces and it should go away. I also read a thread where PBM described a home made elbow pad sling thing back in 2004 and I have seen the ones you can buy online but they are kind of expensive, has anyone ever used them, they're called dog legges. My breeder said the usual problem with putting padding there is they will take it off and it will move around etc... even the ones you buy, so I don't know if I want to waste my money on them. Any experience would be appreciated.

[MarieM]

Ellie had a hygroma when she was younger - it was fairly large so I puchased the dogleggs. I thought about making something to go around her elbow but I figured it wouldn't work as well - she didn't seem to mind wearing the dogleggs. She wore them 24/7 (except when she went outside) for several weeks or so (maybe a month, can't remember) and it finally went away and hasn't come back. Maybe it would have gone away by itself but she also loves to lay on the cool, hard floor in the summer so I figured she still could by weaing the dogleggs. My vet also said not to drain it. As brunie's mom stated, hygromas are not painful but they sure are ugly and if she ever gets another one I still have the dogleggs (they give you an extra strap in case the dog has grown).