Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Causes and signs of swollen legs in dogs explained
By Whelchel, Bradley D et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2023·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Retrospective evaluation of the etiology and clinical characteristics of peripheral edema in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 527 dogs with swelling in their legs or other body parts (peripheral edema) was studied to find out what caused the swelling and how it affected them. The most common causes were inflammation of blood vessels (vasculitis), blockages in the lymphatic or venous systems, and low protein levels in the blood (hypoalbuminemia). Dogs with low protein levels were more likely to have widespread swelling and also had higher chances of fluid buildup in the abdomen. Understanding these signs can help veterinarians determine the cause of the swelling and decide on the best treatment.
People also search for: dog leg swelling causes · dog swelling treatment · hypoalbuminemia in dogs · dog fluid buildup in abdomen
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The prevalence and clinical characteristics of different etiologies of peripheral edema in dogs are unknown. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of different etiologies of peripheral edema, describe clinical characteristics that vary among etiologies, and report survival times. ANIMALS: Five hundred twenty-seven dogs with peripheral edema. METHODS: Retrospective medical record review. Differences in clinical variables among etiology groups were assessed by Kruskal-Wallis testing with post hoc pairwise Dunn's testing and Chi-square testing with Monte Carlo simulation. RESULTS: The most common etiologies of peripheral edema in dogs were vasculitis (n = 193, 37%), lymphatic/venous obstruction (LVO; 114, 22%), and hypoalbuminemia (94, 18%). Right-sided congestive heart failure (R-CHF) was uncommon (25, 5%). Edema was localized in 377 (72%) dogs and generalized in 142 (27%) dogs, and hypoalbuminemia was more likely to cause generalized edema compared to LVO or vasculitis (P < .0001). Concurrent abdominal effusion (155, 29%) was more common than pleural (77, 15%) or pericardial (12, 2%) effusion. Abdominal and pleural effusion occurred more commonly in dogs with hypoalbuminemia or R-CHF compared to LVO or vasculitis (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Distribution of edema, concurrent cavitary effusions, and clinicopathological data can help predict the underlying etiology of peripheral edema in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37452610/