My dog is panting, has a hard belly, and diarrhea. Is it serious?

If Maxx seems very painful or in severe distress and this has been ongoing all morning, it would be a good idea to bring him to a vet ASAP. Diarrhea in addition to pain, heavy panting or distress may indicate severe GI upset, obstruction, GDV (bloat), or another illness, and should be checked out by a vet right away if his symptoms are continuing.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The symptoms you are describing sound like an emergency. The description of heavy breathing, retching, and contracting abdomen sound like the symptoms of a gastric dilatation/volvulus, or bloat. This happens when the stomach is filled with air and can even twist on itself and is more common in large breed dogs. The condition is extremely uncomfortable, and requires immediate stabilization and possibly surgery. This can be life-threatening and requires immediate veterinary care, especially if there is torsion. I recommend getting your dog to the vet as soon as possible. There are 24-hour emergency clinics in most cities that are open overnight and will be able to stabilize your dog.

Dehydration isn’t usually painful. It makes dogs lethargic and they don’t want to eat or drink. If he’s in hat much pain I’d be concerned about an injury, pancreatitis or an intestinal obstruction. You are correct that he’s also at risk of dehydration if he’s not eating or drinking normally. I recommend a veterinary exam soon so he can recover quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sammy.

I'm sorry to hear about Shadow! The stretching and pacing is a sign of abdominal pain. This could be something as simple as gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines) caused by eating something naughty. This may be especially true if he only vomited a few times and has since stopped. However, this could also be something very serious such as pancreatitis or an intestinal blockage (especially worrisome if he is known to eat toys, socks, rocks, or other non-food items). If he is not fully vaccinated, parvovirus is also a life-threatening possibility. Because of these possibilities, I strongly recommend you see your vet. This is especially true if the vomiting has lasted for more than a few hours or is very frequent. I hope this helps! Best of luck to you and Shadow!

Hello. If Bromley is sleeping well, then it is probably not an emergency. If he were to start breathing very heavily, retching, pacing, drooling or acting at all painful, then you do need to have him looked at. But upset stomachs do occur in dogs. He may vomit, or have a day or two of diarrhea, but as long as he is eating, drinking & seems fairly normal & active, these things are pretty much self-limiting. If Bromley, however, seems at all unwell, or you are really concerned, it never hurts to have things checked out as soon as possible. I ho0pe all is well with Bromley & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Takoda! Causes of diarrhea are: intestinal parasites, viral or bacterial infections, dietary indiscretion (ate something gross), pancreatitis, toxin ingestion, medications, food allergy/intolerance, new treat/food/table scraps. The straining is due to inflammation and that he feels like he has to defecate but there is little to no stool left. The scooting can be from anal irritation, stool stuck to his anus (check and clean) or his anal glands are full If the diarrhea is bad, then I recommend fasting him for 12-24 hours to rest his GIT and to stop adding "fuel to the fire." Then start a bland diet of boiled chicken or hamburger with rice. Feed 1 cup per 20 lbs per day until 2 normal stools. If the diarrhea continues, he stops eating or starts vomiting he should see your Vet. I hope this helps and I wish Takoda a speedy recovery!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Please have Butch seen immediately by a veterinarian as he sounds like he is exhibiting the clinical signs of GDV (gastric dilitation with volvulus), commonly referred to as bloat. If this is what he has, it is life-threatening, so it is better to have him seen to know whether he does have it or not. Hope this helps and that Butch is okay!