Scratchings-and-Sniffings

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Cedar's Hygroma - Still a problem Posted: 30 Jun 2009 10:06 AM PDT You may remember that we did a story on Cedar, the English Mastiff and his hygroma back in May. As you may recall a hygroma is a fluid filled bursa that develops on the elbows of dogs, especially big dogs, as a result of constant pressure form getting up and down on hard surfaces. Not all dogs get them and most are not as severe as Cedar's. Cedar's problem is complicated by the fact that his hygroma is ulcerated and open. It's like an open sore and our friends Mike and Ellie have been patiently bandaging and dressing the wound for weeks now. It does not look like it's getting much better.   I suggested that they purchase a Dog Legg adjustable padded bandage. They did get one and they have had mixed results. While the Dog Legg does a good job of padding the injury it also holds in the moisture from the wound and the result is a stinky mess. We are still using the padded bandage but the wound itself has to be changed daily.   I called my friend Dr. Bill Craig, the Chief Medical Officer at PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance and a board certified small animal practitioner. Bill had some good suggestions but also some cautious advice. First of all there is no fool proof way to deal with these things. There is disagreement among veterinarians on how to handle them. Some advocate surgery and other's don't. I'd have to say that Dr. Craig and I are in the same camp here. We would not advocate surgery as a general rule. They tend to come back after surgery and in some cases the surgery can make things worse.   When I described Cedar's condition to Bill he was sympathetic and had some suggestions. First of all he wanted to know if we had done all the basics; soft bed, padding etc. He was also suspicious of an infection. The wound itself could be infected and the infection could be deep in the tissue. This would explain the particular odor associated with the wound and it could be delaying healing.   So the first thing we'll do is a culture and sensitivity. We'll culture the tissue for the presence of pathogenic bacteria and then see what antibiotic would be the best to handle the bug.    Next we'll refine our bandaging technique and include a special topical antibiotic that can penetrate the mass of the hygroma. We'll change the bandage at least once per day and hope for the best.   We're visiting Ellie, Mike and Cedar at their beautiful home in Jackson, Wyoming. They have a good veterinarian here that is very familiar with Cedar. We'll visit him and see what he has to say and get the culture and sensitivity.   Hopefully, the next time we write about Cedar, he'll be better. I know if there is anything that Ellie and Mike can do, they'll do it. Cedar's family.

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