My Labrador has a swollen belly, rapid breathing, and won't eat.

Poor Coco! That much distension in the stomach can indicate fluid (ascites) in the abdomen or an enlarged abdominal organ like the liver. These problems can develop secondary to heart disease, liver failure, low protein levels, severe GI parasites, and cancer. I'd recommend taking Coco to see a veterinarian right away as he needs blood work and X-rays to know why this is happening. This is a true medical emergency as many of the causes of a distended stomach can be life threatening. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I am hoping Coco has an easy recovery!

I would recommend having a stool sample performed to rule out intestinal parasites and give a general deworming. I would then recommend blood work on him to see if there is something going on with Muffins organs. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there. Fank's symptoms indicate severe abdominal pain. This could be due to a hernia, a blockage or infection. I would recommend taking him to your vet asap and have some xrays and blood work performed and get Frank started on treatments. I hope that helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I am very sorry to hear about your labrador. It sounds like he needs to have diagnostic imaging (x-rays or preferably ultrasound) performed to examine the abdominal cavity, or if that is not an option, an exploratory surgery may be needed. I would be concerned about a large abscess or a tumor that had a cystic or abscessed area, but truly to determine the cause and whether or not treatment will be helpful further investigation is needed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! How old is Max? If his belly seems distended and he is now acting ill, my concern would be that the swelling could be due to fluid in his abdomen (blood or free fluid), or a stomach torsion. This can be due to a splenic growth, liver disease, a toxin ingestion, or another underlying medical issue. If his gums are pale, not pink, I would have him evaluated immediately by a veterinarian, as it could be due to internal bleeding, or if he has non-productive retching (indicative of a stomach torsion). If his gums look pink and moist, I would still recommend he be evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as you can to determine what the underlying swelling is, and what necessary treatment needs to be taken to resolve it. Good luck!

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.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If you suspect that Rogue's abdomen is becoming larger, I would recommend having her examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. The symptoms you are seeing could be due to a systemic disease or infection so it would be best to have a veterinarian take a look at her and perform some diagnostic testing such as blood test and x-rays. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. The sooner she is seen the better. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!