What do my dog's abdominal x-rays show about his constipation?

Unfortunately the quality of the image coming through to us isn't great. If you are talking about the circular area on the upper right side of the abdomen, this is gas in the stomach and can be normal. If your vet wants to try additional diagnostics but doesn't have ultrasound, they could do a barium study, or they could send the x-rays to a radiologist for review (a veterinary radiologist has extensive training at reviewing x-rays and so can sometimes interpret things a regular vet may not). X-rays can be send electronically to a radiologist for review through various services, so I would ask them if they feel either of these options would be appropriate.

Poor Fox! Most often if your dog has an intestinal blockage he is doing a lot of constant or consistent vomiting. One or two episodes of vomiting is unlikely to mean a blockage. If his bowel looks empty on X-ray, and there is no sign of gas distention on X-ray, there is unlikely a blockage and something else is causing his issues. He may need full bloodwork, urinalysis, and abdominal ultrasound to figure out what is going on. Hope that helps!

Hi, if you have a picture of the X rays please feel free to repost. In general, poo does not pose a problem as it is lower in radiopacity than bones. It is normally recommended to count heads and spines. Hope this helps !

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. There are definitely radiopaque dense gravel-like objects near the bladder and cranial to it as well. It would help to provide the x-ray where she is laying on her back as well. Multiple views on x-rays help pinpoint locations of objects if there is doubt as to where they are located. I would say that this looks to be near the bladder but not within the actual bladder itself because the same dense material can be found forward to the bladder on this x-ray, so it is likely GI tract. If you can provide a second view that would be great. It also appears that she has quite a bit of fecal material in her intestines. Is she constipated right now? If so, she may need an enema and stool softener. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

We can't often see tumors in the stomach on x-rays because they blend in with the surrounding tissues. Black areas on x-rays are often pockets of gas, which may be normal. I would recommend asking your vet what you are seeing on the x-rays.

Without seeing the x-ray it is hard to say. On x-rays all black areas are air, white areas are bone/metal and gray areas are soft tissue structures or non-radiopaque objects. A tumor, hair or grass would all look similar. Dogs almost never have hairballs. A lump of grass would not make it all the way to the colon as it would be digested before it got there. If there is a lump inside the colon or around the outside of the colon then it is most likely cancer however, it could be a hernia, an enlarged lymph node or other soft tissue structure. I cannot tell you without seeing the x-ray. If you do not trust the vet's interpretation then I suggest you get a second opinion from another vet. You can take the x-rays with you for them to review. Also, most vets have a board certified radiologist they can x-rays to for review. You can always ask your vet to do that for you as a second opinion.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! An official diagnosis requires at least 2 view radiographs. However, this 1 view definitely looks consistent with a GDV and warrants a veterinary evaluation as soon as possible. Best of luck!