[Micah Duffy]

I have a 20 month old CLF that has a swollen lump that is slowly enlarging. It is roughly 3 inches by 5 (fits in my hand) and on her right side beginning at the end of her rib cage and going to her hip. I will be getting her taken to the vet tomorrow! I am only posting this for any reasonable advice that may help her tonight. Here is what I know. Notice the lump yesterday when she was outside in the sun. I did a circumference measurement on it and she was 21.5 yesterday and almost 22 tonight. Her temp is 103.4. She has slowed down a bit being a controlled but fast athletic dog neaning mildly lethargic but not much.....more like she doesnt feel quite right. Still no lack of enthusiasm. She went after a mark the 7 year old threw before I got her called inside. She is very lean so the lump is very noticeable. I will try to attach a couple pics. I have access to a thermal imaging camera through work also. It shows a definite temp range and irritation. She has no loss of appetite, still solid stools, no problem drinking water etc. Even picks her head up when I walk across the room. I am thinking a spider bite. Any ideas or suggestions??? Other than that she appears to be ok. The lump is also very hard and tender to her if I put pressure on it she will pull away or start to lightly whine. Bottom pic is a normal standing pic her on point with a quail she found in the garage. I also felt through her fur for a sign of pucture from a seed or thorn as well as a bite sensitive area. Nothing really has turned up or evident.

 

[Eric Fryer]

Good luck Micah, let us know what the vet says

 

[Thomas D]

Have vet check for seed inhalation. See pics on meanseeds.com

 

[Billie]

Fever says infection. I'm guessing, an abscess due to foreign body...
Good luck ,and keep us posted....

 

[windycanyon]

I had a girl who had a (presumed) cheat grass awn enter and travel up thru her vulva and settle near a teat last summer. She had a 104F+ temperature and fortunately rolled over on her back when I tried to put her in her crate that night-- which is when I saw the abscess. It had to be lanced and once it was, she was fine.

 

[JusticeDog]

an abscess due to foreign body...

check out 3BLKDOGs story. Her dog got a mean seed that lodged along the spine. it created a big foreign body lenghwise. They had to do an exploratory to find it. Almost lost the dog.

 

[mwk56]

could also "just" be a seroma from a blow or a puncture. Easily treated with antibiotics, possibly draining if really large or interfering with the dog's movement.

Meredith

 

[Micah Duffy]

My GF got her to the vet for me today. They basically did a biopsy on it and took samples. She is in Great health otherwise. Its called a microscopic aspiration. I will know tomorrow when i get lab work back. It does look like a Muscle contusion or puncture and inflamation but I couldnt find any evidence of a puncture. Maybe Ill shave her...

 

[jeff t.]

My GF got her to the vet for me today. They basically did a biopsy on it and took samples. She is in Great health otherwise. Its called a microscopic aspiration. I will know tomorrow when i get lab work back. It does look like a Muscle contusion or puncture and inflamation but I couldnt find any evidence of a puncture. Maybe Ill shave her...

Just checking to make sure...are you aware of the problems with seeds entering the body, the problems that occur when that happens and the difficulty associated with fixing those problems?

 

[Micah Duffy]

Just checking to make sure...are you aware of the problems with seeds entering the body, the problems that occur when that happens and the difficulty associated with fixing those problems?

Yes to a certain extent. I have a friend that had his dog lose an eardrum to a seed. Cheatgrass. As far as seeing a large lump as this one from a seed I havent seen anything like it.

Vet says it may be a bite or could be a tumor, which I have a hard time believing since it came out of nowhere and got as big as it did as fast as it did.

For now its benedryl twice a day for a couple of days then if the swelling doesnt go down she will be put on antibiotics.

 

[pupaloo]

My dog had an abscess in exactly that place from an inhaled seed. It needed to be surgically cleaned and drained, and he was on antibiotics for about three months.
If that's what it is, you really don't want it bursting inside your dog....you might try a hot compress and see if you can draw it to the surface. Good luck.

 

[jeff t.]

Yes to a certain extent. I have a friend that had his dog lose an eardrum to a seed. Cheatgrass. As far as seeing a large lump as this one from a seed I havent seen anything like it.

Vet says it may be a bite or could be a tumor, which I have a hard time believing since it came out of nowhere and got as big as it did as fast as it did.

For now its benedryl twice a day for a couple of days then if the swelling doesnt go down she will be put on antibiotics.

Some tumors grow alarmingly fast, hope it isn't a tumor.

There is a ton of info on this forum re symptoms and treatment of grass awns that have entered the body one way or another (skin, eyes, nose, mouth, etc)

All one has to do is search...here are a few examples. Good luck.

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=72029&highlight=grass+awn

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?p=828833&highlight=grass+awn#post828833

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=59586&highlight=cheat+grass

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=65107&highlight=grass+awn

 

[jeff t.]

This thread re Lydia's "Blaze" has a lot of info re how bad it can get

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=29375&highlight=blaze+grass&page=2

 

[3blackdogs]

Hi Micah. Blaze is my dog and we went through quite an incredible journey to diagnose the migrating foreign body- by the time we finally got a diagnosis, he was critically ill and only emergency surgery saved his life.

In one respect you are 'fortunate' that this lump has appeared. We didn't have that luxury with Blaze - his abscess was completely internal. You can read the particulars on the thread that Jeff T posted. What you describe resembles closely to how NAFC Grady's grass awn abscess presented. I don't think Chad would mind me talking about this since he wrote a heartfelt accounting in Retriever News when he and Grady won the National Am last year.

Quite obviously Grady survived but he had pretty major thoracic surgery, and some lingering aftereffects a year or so later that needed further medical attention.

While shaving the area looking for a poke or thorn isn't a bad idea, keep in mind that in these cases, the dogs have inhaled the awns. Blaze's went through his lung and diaphragm and then set up shop inside the abdominal cavity, traveling the long expaxial muscle. Grady's was also inhaled, traveled through the lung but fortunately took a right turn and exited out his side. So Grady presented with a lump that appeared seemingly out of nowhere and got larger. I know this because I was the 'ambulence driver' that brought Grady down from training to Jeff's clinic a day or two after the lump appeared. The Handjem pros were vigilant, aware of the grass awn problems we're seeing more and more of in trial dogs, and also knew what Blaze had been through. When they showed it to me I said "ok, I admit I'm totally paranoid, but let's call Jeff", he said "let's get him down here so I can take a look" and two hours later I delivered Grady to the clinic. After the initial exam, Jeff called Dale Bjorling, the head of surgery at UW Vet school, Grady was sent to Madison the next day... and the rest is history. With a storybook ending, thank God.

SO, keep a close eye on this. It could be a poke from a thorn, a tumour....but given where you live, it could be an inhaled something. The Meanseeds website is an excellent resource. Migrating foreign bodies always used to be associated with foxtail, but we know now that it can be a lot of things. (In our area, a major culprit is Canada Wild Rye - unfortunately a big favorite of prairie restorations, wildlife preserves and other public lands.)


Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Micah Duffy]

Some tumors grow alarmingly fast, hope it isn't a tumor.

There is a ton of info on this forum re symptoms and treatment of grass awns that have entered the body one way or another (skin, eyes, nose, mouth, etc)

All one has to do is search...here are a few examples. Good luck.

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=72029&highlight=grass+awn

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?p=828833&highlight=grass+awn#post828833

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=59586&highlight=cheat+grass

http://www.retrievertraining.net/forums/showthread.php?t=65107&highlight=grass+awn

Jeff thank you so much for the links! They shaved about a 2 inch circle on the lump to take a fluid sample in two places. Now its draining really well mostly clear fluid but some small remnants of thinned blood too. Its already ruduced about 1/3rd. Been using a hot moist rag to help draw out additional fluid and its helping a lot.

 

[Micah Duffy]

Wow Lydia what an ordeal. Im glad things finally worked out for baby blaze. I hope all is well with him now. Im still looking for signs of seeds but as of now She is doing fine. Lots of energy(as usual) The lump has slowly drained and is still draining. Still has a hard spot and with the tissue damage I am almost certain it was a bite. We will be doing a vet check in the next couple of days again. I will post a current pic of the lump/wound tonight.

Thanks to all the replies and helpful reading info as always.

 

[jeff t.]

Im still looking for signs of seeds but as of now She is doing fine. Lots of energy(as usual) The lump has slowly drained and is still draining. Still has a hard spot and with the tissue damage I am almost certain it was a bite. We will be doing a vet check in the next couple of days again. I will post a current pic of the lump/wound tonight.

Thanks to all the replies and helpful reading info as always.

Micah,

How is your dog doing?

 

[Micah Duffy]

Thanks for asking. I will get a pic up soon. She is doing well. The lump has slowly drained. It leaves an opening and then seals up. I have "poked" it twice to continue the draining and its steadily getting smaller. Will be doing a vet check this next week and find out.

 

[Micah Duffy]

Went to MY vet today and Did a Minor surgery. Lanced the lump which has been building up fluid still. They washed it out and inserted a drain almost 7 inches up inside the hole that has been weeping. It sounds like we are in for the long haul chasing a mean seed. Vet thinks its cheatgrass that she inhaled and its made its way back to her rear end and somewhere in the rear muscle area. The lump is fluid retention from it draining. Drain will be pulled in 5 days and staples in two weeks. In the meantime I have to keep a close eye on her and watch for anything else.

 

[Guest]

Bummer, I was hoping she was all healed up by now Good Luck.