Question:
I noticed my 10 year old doberman/lab has been acting different, sleeping a lot and started limping this morning. I checked his foot and leg for swelling. When I reached the upper leg, underpit area I noticed a very large lump the size of an orange under there. I can't get him into the vet for another week and half, what could this be and is there anything I can do now for him to keep him comfortable?

Answer:
I'm sorry,but a week and a half,before you see a vet is not acceptable.
A lump can be anything including cancer and he needs a vet ASAP,you don't want to watch him suffer and quickly go down without doing anything about it.I had a cat once,with a small lump,vet said "only fatty lump",within a couple of days it was tennis-ball size and my cat all of a sudden went down hill quickly and had to be put down.Not to scare you,but your dog needs to be seen right away :(

Answer:
I have to agree.

He needs to see a vet ASAP..Having a lump the size of an orange is not good.He must be very uncomfortable.Please try and see if you can get him in sooner.It could be anything.But it's better to be safe then sorry.If it's something serious,then maybe they can catch it in time.

Good Luck.

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How often do you check your dogs body for lumps/bumps and things?

I check mine all the time...can you recall when you did last? When did your dog last go to the groomer...narrow down when this thing started!

A vet trip sooner rather then later is in order

Answer:
First of all I do not ignore my dogs needs nor his body. This was something that just appeared in the last couple of days. It is very frustrating to call and call all the vet clinics in the town I live in only to have them tell me they can't see him til a week from tuesday. My animals are like my children, I was very upset all day and came here looking for advice and help in making him comfortable, I was appalled at the responses, fortunately a friend of mine came over to look at him and no she's not a vet but had the similar thing happen to her dog, her dog had ripped a muscle. I sat by his side all day very upset and kept him comfy resting as much as possible today on his bed. He is now up and walking with a limp but at least he's walking. Do you always assume the worse and that animals are ignored? I am very much an animal lover and my babies mean the world to me.

Answer:
I'm just curious - what was in the responses that "apalled" you? I see only concern for your dog and the good advice to get him to a vet ASAP, since he is obviously in pain.

What I'm apalled at is that you couldn't find a vet who could see your dog immediately after you explained that he had a large and painful lump. And if your friend is not a vet, then she cannot possibly know if it's the same thing her dog had, or something much more serious.

Answer:
WHOA there.

Why are you getting upset?

You asked for advise on how to make him feel comfortable.WE are not vets here.We can not see the lump.And just because your friends dog ripped a muscle,doesn't mean that your dog did.

We tried to explain to you that lumps are a serious matter.And should get looked into as soon as possible.

If your appalled by the resposes you got from caring,animal lovers,then something is wrong.We ALL love our animals and are on here to help and advise the best we can.And WE are not vets.

Anita explained to you what happened to her cat that it could be nothing,or it could be something.And she also explained as to what happened when her cat had a lump.

Do we always assume the worse?Depends on the situation.

We did not judge you or say that you neglected your dog.If that's what you read it to be in our responses,then you are dead wrong.

If you found a lump on you,wouldn't you be worried?Wouldn't you want to see a doctor sooner?I know I would.

We have seen far to many people who put off taking there pet in sooner.Either their pet got worse,or even worse,they died.We have seen it all on here.

Luba was only asking it you check for lumps/bumps.

And we did say it could be nothing or it could be something.We NEVER said you didn't love your dog.Nor did we say you were irrisponsible.

What really pisses me off is when people take our responses the wrong way.....GEEZ..........

"edited"...LR we posted the same time...LOL

Answer:
First of all I was appalled by the responses from the vet clinics hmmm not hard to misread into things is it? I never said that my dog had the same as what happened to my friends dog but the advice in comforting him was helpful from her. Putting warm compresses on and bed rest helped relieve some of the pain to a point where he could walk again. As for a trip to the vet sooner well I am well aware of that and tried everything I could, as a matter of fact was on the phone first thing this morning, I found a vet who will look at my dog this afternoon, I have to make an hour and half drive but it will be worth it, I take my pets health and welfare serious. Its not that I didn't want to or had no time for a trip to the vets, its the poor service of the clinics in this town I was dealing with. If all goes well I will continue to make the journey to a vet who really cares if that's what needs to be done from now on. I came to this website searching for someone who might have an idea and how to comfort him til I could get him to the vets.

Answer:
That's good,let us know what happens,hopefully nothing serious..
When you said a week and a half,I assumed it was a money issue,waiting for pay-check etc..which is many times the case on this Forum.
I have many vets in my area and also an emergency-clinik(Mississauga) and never have a problem finding a vet ASAP should it be needed,but I realize in some very rural areas they might be few and far between.
I re-read all the posts and could not find anything judgmental,just concern for a dog with a lump and nowhere did we say you do not love your dog,it's scary and upsetting when your animals get sick,but a vet is the only one that can decide what's wrong,unfortunately in the case of my Peppi,even she was wrong.
Also,we do get a lot of people proffessing to LOVE their animals to death and that is literally,because as soon as there is trouble or it's going to cost money,the dog/cat becomes no more than an unwanted burden.
Sorry for the length of my post it just frustrates me being jumped on trying to find an answer and we are not here to make the owners feel better,it's all about the animals we love.

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I was appalled at the responses

You have issues!

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You have issues!
Uh, Luba, we ironed them all out. Now that its clear, she says that she was appaled at the responses of the vet clinics.

Answer: