Hard knot on BT back leg

[Jesstolle14]

My BT seems to have a hard knot like bump on her back hind leg, up by her hip. It feels like it is attached to her muscle. She limps alot on that leg too but she is old, i'm thinking maybe its arthritis?! She only really limps at night. She eats good and drinks just fine and is playful, but that back leg is annoying her i can tell. Its not attached to her skin at all, it seems to be attached right onto the muscle. I will take a picture later for you all, but wanted to know in advance if this has happened to any of you. She is 11 years old and never had any problems! I did take her to the vet a few weeks ago about a wart that started growing in her ear and found that knot on her leg when i brought her in. its stayed the exact same size since than. He said he wanted to remove it, but he also said he wanted to remove the wart on her ear and he said the one on her hip he didn't like and wanted to remove. I was kinda skeptical because he didn't want to do a needle biopsy or anything, he just felt it and was like ya i wanna remove it, which would cost 3-400 dollars. the wart on her ear is almost gone, it has shrivled up pretty fast. but the one on her leg is still there and she limps on it too, sometimes doesnt even want to walk on it. please reply with any answers to where it will help me out

[Sweet Lil Bella]

Bostons and prone to LP (luxating patella) My girl has it in both of her back legs, I have had her on Cosequin DS double stregnth for almost a year I think and I have seen about a 95% improvement after this long. I ordered it from entirely pets.com she took a whole pill at first then you go dwon to 1/2 a pill depending on the size of your dog. It helps with joint problems and alot of other things if you want to look into it or talk to your vet. Also do you have doggy stairs for the couch or bed?

[Jesstolle14]

I don't believe it is her knee bothering her. but it could be. I will definitely buy some of that medicine and see if it helps. I got some joint vitamins at the pet store i buy their food at, which she is on adult all life stages orijen. I just hate seeing her limp She is overweight too. What kind of food do you feed your BT on? I think I'm going to get Senior Orijen. It's just so hard with the other 2 dogs, they eat eachothers food. We have a 2 year old Boxer, 7 year old Boxer than my 11 Yr old BT. THe knot on her leg is the weirdest thing and i havent read anything online of anyone else having a knot on the muscle/hip region, under the skin, feels attached to the muscle/joint.

[Sweet Lil Bella]

Sounds like possible LP or a hip issue, either way Cosequin DS will really help. Good luck! I feed my girl Blue buffalo small breed adult dry and she eats a few different flavors of wet foods. All blue buffalo blue stews, and wellness stews. And I only get her good quality treats and bully sticks.

[Jesstolle14]

i've replied a bunch to this. I'm new so I don't know if they are getting attached or not haha. but blue buffalo i will definitely go get some today and i'm buying the Cosequin DS today as well online. should be here in a couple day! I will try anything to help her! SHe's my baby Boston's are such a remarkable breed....she's definitely a fighter

[Sweet Lil Bella]

Awww I am happy to hear you love your Boston as much as I love Bella Cosequin DS helped her very much!

[ChelseaLynn]

On the leg is it a lump? The vet said he would recommend removing it? If it is a lump I would definitely talk to him about just doing a biopsy on it to make sure it isn't something like cancer. If it was her knees as in luxating patellas he would have been able to tell that quite easily just by moving the knee. Every time I go to the vet for shots or whatever my vet always moves Simon's knees around to ensure they are good and no luxating patellas. I would talk to the vet more about it and verify it isn't knee problems because if it is a lump you would hate to find out it was cancer or something like that that could have been removed early and prevented it going further.

[Jesstolle14]

ya i was thinking about going back. whats weird is all he did was feel it and wanted to remove it. i would have liked for him to atleast do a biopsy first or some kind of blood work. just found it odd he came in for a minute, felt it and wanted to remove it. it feels like a hard knot attached to her hip muscle. when she puts pressure on that leg you can feel it move with the hip. and its definitely not attached to the skin at all. i can move the skin all around it, but cant move it. she has little warts ontop of her skin, but this one is under and it is the size of a pea but really really hard, not soft, and not warm to touch. its really strange.

[ChelseaLynn]

Yeah I would call and say you want some tests done or a better examination before it is removed. Maybe even think about trying a different vet because he doesn't seem like he cared too much. He should have given you some options of what to do with it or even some more information about what it could be! I would definitely either go back to him or get a 2nd opinion somewhere else and ask them what it could be and bring up the hip dysplasia. I don't know much about it but it doesn't really sound like hip dysplasia to me. Here is a website with info on hip dysplasia: http://www.bulldoginformation.com/hi...ymptoms-breeds With hip dysplasia your dog would seem in pain after exercise and maybe limp and it would slowly get worse. And their level of activity will decrease etc.

Here is some info on luxating patellas in Boston's:
Signs of patellar luxation are limping, pain, and the dog may frequently stop to stretch his rear leg behind him. This straightening of the leg is done to allow the patella to pop back into its normal groove. There are several degrees of luxation, with the lower grade being the ability of the kneecap to pop back into place on its own and the highest grade (of four) being such severe luxation that only surgical repair can correct the dislocation. There are numerous reports of rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament
http://www.bostonterrierclubofameric...r-luxation.htm
http://www.thewholedog.org/artPatella.html

[Aliecat]

What did your vet say about the limping? Did he think it was related to the lump or not? It sounds like a generic limp, but Chelsea is right; he should have been able to tell the difference between LP, Hip displaysia, and arthritis at the apt (although mild hip displasia and arthritis may require Xrays for diagnosis).

As far as the lump goes, it sounds like a tumor for sure. A cyst will be on the skin or between the skin and muscle, and you would be able to feel your fingers around it. Your vet may have noticed something about it that concerned him, and he may have been trying to save you the extra fee of a biopsy. Or he may be the kind of vet that errs on the side of caution. Or he might be out for money with no care for your financial situation. I've seen all three. ;-)

I'm with Chelsea on this one though... if you aren't comfortable with the result of your consultation, you should get in touch with him/her again. If you're patient enough to wait, a phone call might be all it takes. He should have everything he needs on file and if it hasn't been long, he should remember you too. Maybe he can explain to you on the phone or via email what his line of thinking was. This will save you from having to pay for another exam fee. If he isn't receptive to this, or doesn't adequately answer your questions, maybe it's time to start looking for another vet. Either way, keep an eye on the lump. Growth or sores and seepage or change of any kind is a cause for concern.