My senior dog is bloated, not eating, and breathing fast. Is it serious?

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These symptoms are concerning, especially coming from an older pet lIke Blue. His warm feeling body could indicate an internal infection or inflammatory disorder, and his panting and swollen stomach could indicate underlying heart disease, an infection, or even cancer has to be considered here. I would highly recommend taking him in to your vet to have some testing done as soon as possible. The vet needs to do some bloodwork analysis and an x-ray to find out the underlying cause for his symptoms, since there are several disease processes that can cause the same symptoms. I do hope that Blue is able to make a full and speedy recovery with a diagnosis that is readily treatable. I wish you all the best! Take care.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Since Timberblynn is an older girl, I would be worried about the possibility of some type of cancer causing her clinical signs. She may have a mass causing enlargement of one or many of her abdominal organs, such as her liver, and leading to her feeling sick and vomiting. I recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian to have her seen. Your vet can perform an exam and see if he/she can palpate any masses or organ abnormalities. Your vet may also recommend bloodwork and/or imaging to see any changes in her abdomen. In the meantime, you can try offering her a bland diet suck as boiled chicken and rice, however I feel strongly that she should see your veterinarian. I hope this is helpful!

With Molly not eating well for a while and now and with a bloated abdomen this does not sound like just constipation. Not wanting to move and abdominal bloating in a senior dog may be due to heart disease or she may have a mass in her abdomen. I recommend taking her in for an exam and X-rays to see if it's fluid, constipation or a mass causing the bloating. Your veterinarian may recommend a blood panel also to check her organ function and whether she is anemic. Heart conditions often can be treated with a good response. It's important to know what is causing her bloating in order to treat her successfully. If your veterinarian feels like her body is shutting down and she has a poor prognosis they can help you decide what is best for Molly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help answer your veterinary questions about Molly.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. You need to seek veterinary care for her. Her symptoms have gone on long enough that they will unlikely resolve without treatment. The difficulty breathing is worrisome as well. She will need fecal testing and possibly laboratory work depending on her exam findings. Based on these results, treatment can be prescribed. I would discuss the probiotic with your veterinarian as well. There is a large variation in quality and some have actually been found to contain pathogenic bacteria. I hope this information helps and she is feeling better soon!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lady! I love your pictures! There are many possible reasons for Lady's symptoms. The heart rate is fine, it is normal to have a low resting heart rate at home. The fact it isn't high is reassuring that she isn't in pain or distress. The panting can be from: canine cognitive dysfunction or dementia, Cushing's disease, feels over heated and a lot of older large breed dogs just overall pant more. Causes for the bloated belly are: overweight (fat in belly), enlarged liver from Cushing's, low thyroid, tumor in her belly. I think a Vet exam, blood work and belly X-rays are a good idea to see if there is a medical reason for the symptoms you are seeing. I hope this helps and I wish Lady the very best!

Poor pup! From your description, it sounds like something is seriously wrong. Trouble walking could be caused by arthritis, a neurologic problem like a stroke or herniated disc in the spine, or generalized weakness due to a severe illness of some kind. A bloated abdomen can be caused by GDV (gastric dilatation volvulus, or "bloat"), which is a life-threatening condition where the stomach fills with air and twists on itself; other possible causes would include congestive heart failure, an abdominal tumor, liver failure, or internal bleeding. These signs are indicative of a severe, possibly life-threatening problem that needs immediate veterinary care, so I would recommend taking your dog to an emergency vet right away. He/she can do blood work and x-rays if needed to help diagnose the problem and see what can be done to help her.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear about Booda, she sounds very sick. Since she is vomiting, acting lethargic, not eating and having neurological signs, I would have her seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Especially in an older Golden, cancer is a top differential for the cause of her clinical signs. Your veterinarian will want to do a complete physical exam, along with bloodwork and/or x-rays to look for evidence of disease. Because she is coughing, I'm afraid she may have cancer in her lungs, or less likely something like pneumonia. Unfortunately, you may have to consider thinking about her quality of life. Vomiting, coughing, not eating and being unresponsive to stimuli are not indicative of a good quality of life. I hope this is helpful, and I'm very sorry to hear about Booda.