My dog has a bloated belly, gas, and fatty liver. What should I do?

You do need more testing to find out what is going on. It can be fluid build up but you need blood work and an ultrasound to see if the fluid is leaking from the intestines or liver congestion secondary from heart disease. sometimes a diet change can help or the fluid may need to be drained to have it evaluated for cells. Without a diagnosis and more testing it is hard to help you further

Fluid accumulation in the abdomen is often secondary to heart disease (valvular disease, heart worms, cardiomyopathy) ..or...some type of malignancy. Tumors in the abdominal cavity can sometimes be associated with fluid build up. It is important to do some additional diagnostic tests. Survey radiographs to start, then it may be advised to move on to an ultrasound....either of the heart or if the abdomen depending on radiograph findings. The ultrasound can be particularly helpful in cases like this where fluid accumulation reduces the ability to see vital structures on radiographs. This most likely had nothing to do with a case of overeating. There is likely some disease process that has been going on for some time. I hope you can get some answers soon. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is difficult to say just from a picture what is wrong with Flower. If you think Flower's belly is bloated / enlarged, I would have a veterinarian examine her and have x-rays taken of her abdomen. Things that would make a belly distend range from fluid in the abdomen, large amounts of gas (bloat) and tumors. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Fluid in the abdomen is usually caused by either heart failure, low blood protein levels, or cancer. Blood work should be done to check protein levels. A follow up appointment with your veterinarian soon is important, and more work up should be done to identify the cause. Blood work, urinalysis, and ultrasound are the steps I would usually take is a case such as Major to find the problem and develop the best treatment options. Best of luck and I hope you find an answer soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

If Faithlynn had bloat, you would not only see an enlarged belly, but you would also see pacing, restlessness, anxiety, excessive drooling, and trying to vomit but cannot. A bigger belly only simply could be due to a big meal.

My first question is whether your veterinarian tapped the abdomen to get a sample of the fluid....if so... what was it. With sudden abdominal distension, low red blood cell count I would be most concerned about a bleeding tumor. The fact that liver enzymes were elevated days following a steroid injection is hard to evaluate because the steroid injection wound cause a spike in the liver values....so were they elevated to start with or only following steroid administration. The best thing to do here is have an abdominal ultrasound and collect fluid. If the fluid is blood...there is likely a bleeding tumor. If the fluid is not blood....she may have right sided heart disease (heart worms or other cause), some type of cancerous process somewhere or other chronic metabolic disease. If you are uncertain about your veterinarian, ask for a referral for an ultrasound or seek a second opinion. I hope you find some answers . Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Poor Poppy! I'm sorry to hear that she's having this problem. Fluid accumulation in the abdomen is indeed a common symptom of liver failure, but it's impossible to say for sure if this is the cause without being able to examine her and look at her recent lab work, imaging studies (x-rays and ultrasound), etc. I would recommend talking to the veterinarian who is treating her about what can be done. Ideally, the shunt should be fixed surgically. If this is not an option for you, there are sometimes some diet changes and medication options that can help, at least for a while. Your veterinarian should be able to outline these treatment options for you and help you decide on what is best for Poppy.