My dog has a swollen left belly for days. When should I call the vet?

It's not normal that Luna's belly is swollen a week after breeding, and i would be concerned that the swelling could be due to a medical illness such as a pyometra (infection of the uterus). She could also be suffering from intestinal worms, bloat, or have a build up of fluid in the abdomen from a disease process. I would have Luna seen by a vet immediately for this, as there can be some very serious causes behind a suddenly swollen belly. The vet can do a physical exam, blood tests, urinalysis, and x-rays to diagnose what is causing her swollen belly. Once the cause is found, the vet can discuss treatment with you. Please take her into a vet now.

Press should be examined by your veterinarian to diagnose the underlying cause. After a physical exam, blood work and/or abdominal xrays or ultrasound may diagnose a tumor or fluid accumulation. Certain endocrine conditions can also cause a pot bellied appearance.

Oh goodness. I am also very worried about Scoby. I am concerned that he could have fluid in his abdomen. This could happen for many reasons including kidney disease, heart disease, intestinal problems, and will need lab work and possibly an abdominal ultrasound to help make the diagnosis. He needs to see a veterinarian as soon as possible. This could be life threatening, so please don’t delay having him seen. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

As long as she is acting ok you could monitor her for additional signs. If she starts retching, seems uncomfortable, starts drooling, is painful, or the distension persists then she should be examined by a vet. Your vet can take an X-ray to evaluate her abdomen and determine the exact cause of her problem.

Since the diarrhea has lasted for 48 hours, he should be seen by your veterinarian. The swelling could be an anal gland abscess or a tumor. An abscess will need to be lanced and drained. A tumor should be aspirated or biopsied to collect samples for pathology. Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent licking until he sees the doctor. Submit a stool sample to diagnose intestinal parasites or bacterial overgrowth. Night may go home with a bland diet, antibiotics and pain medication depending on the diagnosis.

I'm glad that Bailey seems to be feeling okay despite her new abdominal distension. The abdomen can become distended from either a mass or fluid accumulation from right sided congestive heart failure, liver failure, or cancer. Any of these conditions can progress and worsen rapidly, so I recommend taking Bailey to her vet fairly urgently for evaluation to get to the bottom of this issue. She may need to have chest and abdominal x-rays and/or ultrasound, or have a sample of fluid drained from her abdomen for analysis. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Bailey!

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.