My dog is bloated, in pain, bloodwork normal, vet has no answers.

First of all the blood test seem to be completely normal. secondly, a bulging stomach could be caused by many reasons such as a bloat, a tumor or a heart problem, none of which would show up on the blood test. i recommend taking her back to your vet in order to do an xray or ultrasound next.

It sounds like their treatment didn’t resolve the symptoms. Things like pancreatitis or GI obstruction won’t show up on routine blood work, so I would recommend calling the vet today for what needs to happens next. If an obstruction is one of the vet’s concerns, they may recommend x-rays or ultrasound. If pancreatitis is a concern, then usually they need to go on IV fluids for a day or two.

Hello. A hard bloated stomach could be due to many causes including an obstruction, pancreatitis, gastritis, liver disease, kidney disease, and other causes. An x-ray would rule out a foreign body/obstruction, however it wouldn't show a gastritis/pancreatitis. I would recommend having bloodwork done, and if she is painful and has a bloated abdomen then an ultrasound may be required. Your vet may try some medications first for pancreatitis/gastritis without getting a definitive diagnosis, as they are both treated the same. If she is still sore and bloated, I would have her seen again. Good luck with Baby.

I recommend that your contact your vet's office to schedule a follow-up appointment. Your dog may need further diagnostics to determine the cause of the vomiting and diarrhea. While blood work is an excellent and worthwhile diagnostic tool (and I commend you on having it done), it does have limitations. Blood tests are extremely useful for looking at the overall health of your pet. From the tests, a vet can learn if your pet's vomiting is caused by an underlying medical condtion like diabetes, kidney or liver disease, or an infection. Blood work can also reveal if your pet is dehydrated from the vomiting. Many of these problems may not be obvious on a simple physical exam, but if caught early can be successfully treated or controlled, giving your pet a longer and better quality of life. Sometimes blood work can lead to a definitive diagnosis, but oftentimes blood work results guide us as to what the next diagnostic steps should be (radiographs, ultrasound or more specific blood testing).

Poor pup! From your description, it sounds like something is seriously wrong. Trouble walking could be caused by arthritis, a neurologic problem like a stroke or herniated disc in the spine, or generalized weakness due to a severe illness of some kind. A bloated abdomen can be caused by GDV (gastric dilatation volvulus, or "bloat"), which is a life-threatening condition where the stomach fills with air and twists on itself; other possible causes would include congestive heart failure, an abdominal tumor, liver failure, or internal bleeding. These signs are indicative of a severe, possibly life-threatening problem that needs immediate veterinary care, so I would recommend taking your dog to an emergency vet right away. He/she can do blood work and x-rays if needed to help diagnose the problem and see what can be done to help her.

I personally would return for an x-ray and/or ultrasound. Bloating like that is not normal. I'm glad it is not a GDV but there could be an abdominal mass or an enlarged organ (spleen, liver) that may be pushing the side of the abdomen out. They are often not overly ill with an abdominal mass unless it gets to the point of pushing on the stomach or colon causing discomfort and pain. It is better to be safe than sorry. If this was just gas it should have subsided by now on it's own. If you don't want to take him back that is completely up to you. All you can do then is just monitor him for any worsening signs.

This is very very concerning and he needs to be taken back to a veterinarian. There is a possibility that he has an intestinal obstruction, or other serious intestinal problem, The next step would be xrays to see whether there is excessive gas and something blocking the intestine or stomach exit (pylorus). Please take him back to your veterinarian for a recheck.