My dog's stomach bulge ruptured, leaving a hole. What's happening?

Hello, The abdominal distention and x-ray provided suggest Mac has fluid in his abdomen. Further testing including x-rays of Mac chest, an ultrasound of the heart, and an ultrasound of the abdomen are needed to determine if Mac has a heart problem, liver problem or intestinal problem.

I would recommend that you have Lady examined by a vet as soon as possible. It could possible be a rupture abscess or a tumor that has outgrown its blood supply and started dying from the inside. The vet will do an examination and may recommend surgery to remove the mass or to remove any infective or dead tissue to allow healing.

Based on that location I would be very worried that this is a mammary tumor. This cannot be diagnosed with a blood test. A biopsy of the tissue must be taken and sent to a laboratory for testing in order to rule out a tumor. I, personally, would do a radical mastectomy removing all that swelling/mass and put a drain in there and stitch it closed. If it was a simple infection it would have cleared up by now with the treatment you have already provided so I think you need to do this as the next step.

I am very sorry to hear about your dog. What you are describing sounds like most likely a tumor. There are many different types of tumors. Two of the more common we see in this area are lipomas, which are fatty tumors and feel soft/squishy, and sarcomas which are firmer feeling. Unfortunately it sounds like this is large and causing her problems. She needs a visit to the vet's office to examine the tumor and see if it can be surgically removed. They may want to take an x-ray and may want to do what is called a "fine needle aspirate" to collect cells to try to identify the type of tumor before surgery.

Unfortunately, Spot really should be seen by a veterinarian. If it is an abscess, that is one serious infection that needs to be addressed. It could also be a severe hernia. The swelling may be caused by loops of bowel that have slipped through a defect in the muscle wall. This will require surgery to repair. If left untreated, it is possible the bowel could become twisted or strangulated which would be an emergency and potentially life threatening.

This looks like it could be a cyst or a skin tumor like a hemangioma. I find that once a skin growth ruptures it tends to happen again, so I would definitely recommend making an appointment to see your veterinarian. They will probably recommend surgically removing this growth.

I am very sorry to hear about your dog. She definitely needs to go see a veterinarian as soon as possible. Swelling of the abdomen as you describe can be from many causes including fluid buildup in the abdomen (due to things such as heart disease, liver disease, low protein levels due to kidney loss or intestinal loss or severe intestinal parasitism), tumors in the abdomen as well as tumors that are bleeding or oozing into the abdomen. The vet will palpate your dog's belly and may recommend testing including a fecal test to check for parasites and bacteria, an x-ray to look for fluid and tumors, and bloodwork to check protein and red and white blood cell levels.