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My dog has liver failure and fluid in abdomen. How long to live?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My Boyfriend took his Black Lab to the vet yesterday, he has been very tired and hardly energetic. The Vet found Fluid in the Abdomen and says his liver is failing. The Dog still eats and drinks. His Age is Unknown, but he is at least 8 -12 years old. How long does he have to live???

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 29th, 2019

It is all dependent on the cause of the liver failure. Is the liver failure due to a primary tumor or other cause? Prognosis varies from pet to pet. Whether it is cirrhosis of the liver or a tumor causing the problem, the prognosis can be days to years depending on how severe it is. What I would recommend is further testing to help determine if there is a primary cause. You can drain his abdomen periodically to make him comfortable. If there is a liver mass, some liver tumors can be removed surgically by removing the affected liver lobe. Not that long ago, I removed a large tumor on a friend's dog that was causing fluid in the abdomen and also the mass / cyst contained approximately 750ml of fluid! The dog is doing great and the prognosis is very good as the tumor was benign. Some outcomes are favorable and others are unfavorable. It would be best to seek further testing to help get a better grasp on what the prognosis will be for his dog. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions / concerns and I would be happy to help you further.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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