My 12-year-old dog has bumps and swollen legs. What's wrong?

Question

I have a South African Mastiff, she is 12 years old and has developed these bumps on the inside of her leg on one side and now her back leg has become bumpy and swollen. She does not have a fever, her appetite is good and her stool is normal. Pet's info: Dog | Boerboel | Female | spayed | 12 years and 8 months old | 100 lbs

David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS · Accepted Answer

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat her with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advocate or advantage), then get her to the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start her on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting her on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

My 12-year-old dog has bumps and swollen legs. What's wrong?

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