hi,
the last two days ive been hearing my boy lick himself way more than normal. today i saw he was going at his elbow so i flipped him over and was looking at where he had been cleaning and found a big lump on his elbow! this is my first dog and a very big scare. i called the vet and they cant see me for 2 and a half days. i made the appt. but now he has a lump and i dont know what it is. i googled about hygroma and im preying that is what it is. sound like its a possibility from all the plopping down on the floor he does. he loves the hardwood floor and has 3 nice expensive beds. he just gets hot!!! and cant be trusted with a cool bed yet because he is a heavy chewer and will flood my house.... considering a haircut to cool him down, in hopes he might choose a bed over the floor (and for all the people who hate on this haircut idea, i live in half moon bay,ca and it is always around 60 or under degrees, and foggy. my boy walks early and late and is never in direct sun, if we ever had any) i dont live in florida or arizona, i live in the foggiest place in the world on the beach.) hoping to get some reassurance to get me through the next few days it is nothing to be scared about...you imput is appreciated. i love my berner more than anything in the world...

Almost everything i have looked up seems to suggest it is most likely hygroma, which i hope it is as well. With Berners i think you always want to err on the side of caution though and have it checked as early as possible. Good luck with Kona, please keep us informed!

Is a hygroma similar to a bursa? My husband had a bursa from trauma to his elbow and I've heard dogs can get them too. No treatment was needed just antibiotics to ensure no infection happend. You can get pads I think to protect a dogs elbow while they have one.

got him in emergency today and to my relief he had bad hot spots. got his arm shaved, cleaned, on pills and a spray. scared the hell out of me but he is fine.
sometimes google dosent help and makes you think it is worse than it is... also found out he has alergies so im switching his food and got him on a really good supplement with cod oil.. thanks for the replys. my boy is in the cone of shame so he doesnt lick his arm. 320 dollars later i would pay a million to help my berner if i had it

and note to anyone who has similar bumps apparently hygroma is very squishy and fluid filled. its just the bodys way of protecting the bone by creating a cushioning. some drain them; but infection is likely to follow so ask for antibiotics with the draining. where as these hot spots my dog got are harder. either way always get your dog in to the vet because both can get worse without attention. thanks again

I am so please to hear you have sorted it out I bet you are so relived


What causes 'Hot spots' ?? as I have never heard of these befor.

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Rowan

Durham UK

Growing up my Newfie had hot spots. He ended up being allergic to fleas so one bite would cause a 1.5" circle on him somewhere that would get all red and lose it's fur. I remember once we got him on a vet flea medication he was all fixed. I remember him always licking at his hot spots though. Not fun, but glad your sweet Berner is all fixed up

How is the dog doing now? Dogs getting sick are a pain in a dog lover's soul. That's how we love our dogs.

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Bernese Mountain dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, filling an emptiness we don't even know we have.