swelling /hard lump ?

[GypsyGSD]

I took my 9 year old gsd bitch a few weeks ago to have health check and boosters,she also has a swelling /hard lump in on the outside of her vulva,the vet was not sure what it could be and we were told to keep an eye on it,anyway it has now got bigger and im going to book her in for tests in morning,im not to keen for her to go under anisthetic because of her age but I no know this has to be checked, im also concerned about her heavy panting that has been going on for a while and a sudden onset of a stiff hind leg which is responding to metacam ,again coud be age related other than that she is in good health,but having lost my other gsd a few months ago is this lump a bad sign any ideas GypsyX

[jules77]

If it were me I would stop the Metacam immediately. There has been a lot of reports about this type of medication, mainly around dogs bleeding internally. My vet is wary of it, but I know there are a lot of vets out there who prescribe it readily without warning of the side effects. There are plenty of other products out there for arthritis etc without using it ie: Cosequin which you can get from the vets or cheaper still online from America, or glucosamine. I only heard last week about a dog who was prescribed metacam, and is now in liver failure. Try not to worry too much about the anaesthetic as vets operate on dogs much older, and take precautions, sometimes using one generally used on greyhounds. The panting could be because she is in pain. A stiff hind leg doesnt necessarily mean she has arthritis though, it could be because of the lump. If you are not happy with the vet, find another one.

[ruthann58]

hi our 13 year old gsd x collie has been on glucosamin just over a year now and it has helped her she also has a cod liver oil capsule every day and wears a magnetic collar we did have her on medication for her joints but the vet advised us to try the glucosamin (human dose) and it has worked for her as for the lump they might not put her out to check it out my vet did one on our old girl with me holding her he just inserted a fine needle into it and drew off some cells, turned out to be a fat lump just realised you posted last night and have probably taken her by now hope everything is ok Ruth