Hi Marissa,

When you described the swelling your Bella has my mind went to Lymphedema. I have it from cancer surgery and was curious if dogs can develop it as well. They can. Here are some of the causes of secondary lymphedema (LE) in dogs:

Lymphedema is most often a secondary condition resulting from a chronic illness or an acute injury such as:

"Heart disorders
Injury
Trauma (surgery or radiation therapy)
Tumors/Cancer
Insect stings/Snake bites
Infections
Surgery

These problems can cause excessive fluid production that overwhelms the lymphatic drainage system and creates swelling"

This info is from: https://www.thesprucepets.com/treati...n-dogs-4777820

Here is another link on secondary LE in dogs: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/...1986.tb02145.x

The fluid that is retained in LE is not water but lymph fluid. While it is made up primarily of water using a diuretic will make the condition worse because it removes the water making the fluid thick making it even harder, if not impossible, for the body to remove the fluid. In humans, the fluid is moved out via a lymph massage, dry brushing, wrapping, elevating, and exercise. Some of that would be difficult with dogs for sure so I'm not sure how it would be treated. If Bella's swelling continues to spread I would talk to the doc about this possibility....IF you think the links above are relatable to Bella.

Hugs,
Leslie