ABSTRACT
The effects of gravity cause tissue edema to be more prominent in dependent areas of the body. Subcutaneous edema may be noticeable only along the ventral trunk, under the mandible, or in the lower limbs or paws (195, 196). Edema that is not associated with inflammatory lesions causes nonpainful swelling. When digital pressure is applied firmly to edematous superficial tissue, an indentation is often left behind as interstitial fluid is displaced (196). This is known as ‘pitting edema’. The finger-shaped depression persists for a time until interstitial fluid is redistributed back into the area.
