My dog has hard areas on his sides. Could it be his ribs or kidneys?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Precious. Definitely ask her veterinarian about it tomorrow. If it feels firm like bone, you could be feeling the edge of a rib or her sternum. I have had patients with abnormally shaped ribs where you can feel a protrusion on one side, but not the other. She could also have a mass under her skin. In this case, her veterinarian will want to test it prior to her dental. If it is potentially cancerous, it could be removed at the same time. I hope this information helps!

Yes, that looks like it could be from old fractures. If it is not bothering him I don't think I would be overly worried. If you do think it is bothering him or you are worried about it in general, x-rays would give you a definite answer so you may want to consider having that done. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Dogs commonly have their last rib as a "floating rib". That means that there isn't any cartilage that connects it to the sternum. What that means is that the last rib (or sometimes 2) will appear to end suddenly and you can feel a hard bump on their side at the bottom of their rib cage. This can be on just one side or both. Often we don't notice it until they are a little older even though it has always been there. If Lunar is painful, I would certainly recommend having your veterinarian examine him. A floating rib should never be painful. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. This is pretty interesting. Are you sure he just does not have an area of thinning hair? This can sometimes look like a depression in the skin. If not, then muscle can atrophy & shrink a bit if there was some possible injury or trauma to the area. Unfortunately, I just can not tell you if this is serious or not & the best thing to do is have him evaluated, especially if you are sure that this is not thinning hair & when you run your hand over the area, there is a real indentation or depression. I know of no actual disease or condition that would cause this in such a young dog, other than the atrophy previously mentioned. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to know without being able to see Timber. However, it is possible that this means that he needs to gain a bit of weight as usually ribs sticking out is one of the criteria veterinarians use to determine the body conditions score of a patient. Perhaps make sure that Timber is being fed the needed caloric intake based on his specific information which takes into account the breed, activity level, age, among other things. This is something your veterinarian can calculate for you with some additional information. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi ! Thank you for reaching .The area you are concerned about is a bit swollen, so I think it would be wise to have Tony checked over during normal routine hours. It might not be anything to worry about but I think it is better to have a feel of Tony’s tummy and perhaps have an ultrasound done to understand a bit better what is going on. Hope this helps !

Hello. That does look weird. But, it is not from heartworms. If Nito had heartworms, he would be coughing or having problems breathing. If you are concerned about heartworms, do ask your veterinarian to do a heartworm test. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.