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>I took Calvin to the veterinary yesterday, as not only did I find one
>lump, but another under a front leg, and also Thursday evening he just
>didn't act right, abdomen slightly distended.
>
>After a thorough exam the vet found swollen lymph nodes on his hind
>legs, as well as the front, although the abdomen was normal.  No swollen
>nodes that he could ascertain in the neck area.  So he gave him a shot
>of Depomedrol and had me put him on Clavamox.  Said I may notice an
>increase in thirst and urination.  We talked about other meds, and he
>told me of one that causes extreme irritation around the
>urethra/prepuce(sp?), that Depomedrol was probably the best.  Told me to
>watch him, see how he does.  The vet had given one little one a Depo
>shot and it lasted it a year before the glands swelled again, another
>lasted 4 months before another shot.
 
I must say that I am quite concerned about the use of Depomedrol in this
case.  Depomedrol is a strong corticosteroid that is immunosuppressive in
significant doses.  A high dose will certainly shrink the nodes, but it
simply causes destruction of lymphocytes, the cells that populate the
nodes and protect the body.
 
A more appropriate approach to this problem would be to aspirate the
nodes.  First, you will be able to tell if these nodes are simply
enlarged by a extra layer of fat around them.  (This is often the case
around the nodes of the legs.) If there is still a question, then a
biopsy can be done.
 
But the empiric use of Depomedrol to shrink nodes is not an adequate
approach in this case, in my opinion.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
 
Author wrote:
[Posted in FML issue 3921]