Why does my dog's stomach feel firm an hour after eating? Normal?

If she is acting normal otherwise than it might just be that her stomach is full from the feeding. She could also have a parasite causing her stomach to be enlarged. Have a vet take a look at her to determine if she needs treatment. She may need to be dewormed with a broad spectrum dewormer.

Because Scuttle ate a big meal, that's probably why his stomach is large and firm. If he was truly bloated, you would see pacing, restlessness, anxiety, excessive drooling, and trying to vomit but being unable to vomit. Since you are seeing those signs, I don't think he's bloated. I hope this helps.

Hi and thank you for reaching out to pet coach about Peanut. If Peanut has just eaten a large amount of food within the past 1-2 hours his stomach may feel hard because it is full of food. This is normal. If it is his entire abdomen that is hard, it may be also painful. And this can be caused by inflammatory diseases or other problems in the abdomen that can be serious. If Peanut is eating and drinking well, not having any vomiting or diarrhea, and seems comfortable tonight (can lay down on his abdomen without shifting positions or crying out in pain), than I would continue to watch him closely tonight and you may want to schedule an appt. with his veterinarian tomorrow if he is not any better. He may feel completely normal by tomorrow. However, if he has not eaten, seems lethargic, and/or is having vomiting or diarrhea I recommend that you get him to a doctor to have him examined and determine the cause of this problem either just by physical exam and/or X-rays. Best of luck to Peanut.

Awww, she’s a cutie!! If she’s still acting normally... seems comfortable, is energetic and ready to play if prompted, and hasn’t seemed nauseated or like she’s trying to vomit, I would just give her some time. She may have eaten really quickly and have some gas buildup or something of that nature. If she starts retching like she wants to vomit, or if she seems very dumpy and lethargic, take her to the vet. You can check her heart rate as well. Her heart rate at rest should not be faster than 130 beats per minute. If it is faster than that when she seems calm, take her in. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

If it you only noticed it once, and she's otherwise totally normal, I wouldn't worry about it. If you're noticing a pattern of frequent loud stomach sounds, I would recommend discussing that with your vet to see if they would recommend any medical work up (it will depend on her overall health) or if you can try different dog foods -- perhaps probiotics or a bland prescription diet.

Good for you for noticing that her stomach looks different! Lots of times, owners don't see things like this if their dog is still acting normal. There are a number of different things that could cause an enlarged, firm abdomen even if she doesn't have any other symptoms of a problem - in a 7-year-old Lab, some common possibilities would include an abdominal tumor of some kind, liver disease, heart disease, Cushing's disease, or internal bleeding. In many cases, dogs with these issues may not show any other symptoms at first - so the earlier you can determine the problem, the better chance there is that it can be treated successfully. I would recommend taking Yogi to the vet for an exam tomorrow. He/she can palpate her abdomen, and may recommend blood work, x-rays, and/or an abdominal ultrasound to help determine why her stomach looks enlarged and see what can be done to treat the problem.

Hi there! Ali is a very cute pup :) From what you describe, I'm not hearing anything that sounds particularly abnormal. Many young puppies will have a noticeably round, firm belly after eating - this is because they don't have much abdominal muscle or fat yet, so you often notice visual changes like this when they are "full" from a recent meal. Intestinal parasites can sometimes contribute to a rounded belly in puppies, so I would recommend having your vet do a fecal exam to check for this problem. As long as her poop seems to be a normal consistency (not overly hard, or diarrhea) and she doesn't seem painful or uncomfortable when she goes to the bathroom, I wouldn't worry too much about whether she poops in one large piece or several smaller pieces. Since you mentioned that she has not had any vaccines yet, I would recommend taking her to the vet as soon as you can to have her vaccinated, as she is at risk of getting serious diseases like parvo and distemper.