Nellie Goes To The Vet

Nellie has been limping, and I found a swollen area/mass on her left rear leg. I was terrified that the vet visit would indicate the likelihood of cancer.

The vet, Dr. Miller, said Nellie had pitting edema, and he could not feel a mass. He prescribed Rimadyl, a common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory given to dogs. Because it can be hard on older dogs, I had blood work done to make sure this would not likely be an issue. Her blood work was pretty good, except her hemoglobin was low, so he recommended iron.

Dr. Miller wasn’t sure of what caused the edema, but he couldn’t find any swollen lymph nodes, or any mass higher up. So, because it was localized, he thought she must have injured it or strained it. She was also generally weak in the rear.

Upon coming home, I gave her a dose of Rimadyl, and she already seems better, although the swelling is still present.

I will be taking her back in about 10 days to repeat the blood work and get her rechecked. I am so relieved that this condition is treatable!