My dog has fluid retention. How to safely drain fluid for diagnosis?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Kane. Fluid in a body cavity could be blood, body fluid, pus from an infection, lymphatic fluid (chyle). Probably not blood since you said the bloodwork was normal. If bleeding occurred Kane would most likely have a lower than normal red blood cell count. Possible causes include liver disease, heart failure, heart base tumor, low protein levels in the blood secondary to liver disease or protein loss into the intestinal tract or through the kidneys (kidney disease), tumor, pancreatitis, leaking of urine from the urinary system, bile leakage, intestinal perforation (hole in the intestinal tract), foreign body, among a few other causes. Your vet can perform an abdominocentesis (stick a needle into the abdomen) and collect some of the fluid and have it analyzed and cultured if needed. Once a diagnosis is made a treatment plan can be put into place. An echocardiogram of the heart may be needed to evaluate the heart for a problem or tumor. I wish you the best of luck with Kane.

Poor girl! Typically the fluid that was drained can be sent off for analysis to try and identify any cancerous cells. Also if it is hemangiosarcoma then an ultrasound of the spleen should reveal cancer there too, as this is typically where it would originate before spreading to the heart. You could also ask your vet for a referral to an internal specislist to do more advanced imaging to come up with an accurate diagnosis. Also until the cause is found, Gracee is likely going to need additional drainages of the excess fluid build up around her heart, and you want that to be done by a specialist anyway because of the high risk associated with such a procedure. I think it's reasonable to say that you should prepare yourself for the worse because the odds of this being cancer is greater than it not being cancer unfortunately. I send my deepest sympathies for you and your pet during this troubling time and I hope that you are able to make a decision regarding her care soon that you are comfortable with and keeps her best interest at heart.

Poor Rocky! It sounds like he is in both right and left sided heart failure. With right-sided heart failure fluid builds up in the abdomen. In some cases we could actually remove this fluid through inserting a needle in the abdomen under the guidance of an ultrasound. Your veterinarian may be able to do this for you and I would discuss this with them. While we know that the fluid will build back up it often provides comfort/relief to the animal. I recommend calling your veterinarian to discuss what can be done to make sure Rocky is comfortable as the fluid is not getting resorbed on its own.

Sometimes tumors can become cystic or fluid filled. In some cases we can drain these swellings but oftentimes they will refill. They may take just a day or two to refill, or months, and it is impossible to predict. If your dog is in otherwise good health I would talk to your vet about removing the growth or if they feel uncomfortable doing so, referring you to a veterinary surgeon with more experience removing large growths such as this. They may be willing to drain the swelling at your vet's office, just be warned that it can refill.

Hello, sorry to hear about Prince. It sounds like he may have right sided heart disease in which the blood backs up into his veins and the vascular fluid begins to leak out of the vessels. This generally leads to fluid in the belly causing abdominal distention, fluid in the chest, and subcutaneous fluid. Other causes of 3rd spacing can be associated with a low protein level either due to liver disease or loss of protein through the kidneys or bowel. It sounds like prince needs to have a full evaluation of his vital organs and this may include bloodwork, an abdominal ultrasound, a heart ultrasound, and blood pressure monitoring. Ultimately, Prince may need to be evaluated by his veterinarian or an internist to determine why he is having fluid accumulation outside of his vasculature. Hope this helps and best of luck.

This is most likely a seroma which is just a fluid pocket. But a seroma can inhibit healing if it is too big. I would have your vet look at it so they can drain it. Your vet will be able to confirm that it is a seroma and that there isn’t any pus or infection involved. After it is drained you can put a warm compress on it for 10 minutes twice a day to help prevent the fluid from coming back. Sometimes it will return and need to be drained again. Also make sure you are keeping her confined as too much activity can also cause these to form post-op. I hope this helps!

Poor guy. I would suggest getting the x-rays looked at by a board certified radiologist to determine what some possible causes are for the fluid in the belly. Also there is a huge difference between free standing fluid in the belly (heart related) and fluid in the intestines (GI related) If the heart is enlarged and there is fluid in the belly, this could inicate an underlying heart failure situation, in which case getting Sarge started on heart medication right away would be the next best step. A high white blood cell count with no fever does not indicate infection, but instead inflammation, so I would double check with the doctor here to ensure the antibiotics are needed at this time. It would be helpful if we could see a copy of your pets radiogrpahs and full bloodwork findings through a consultation if possible. This can also ensure we get all the information needed to make any additional recommendations on Sarge's care moving forward. I hope this helps and I sure hope Sarge gets better soon. Best wishes and take care.