My senior dog has a swollen belly and breathing issues. Is it ascites?

I would take Cookie back into the vet immediately. Heart disease can be common in senior dogs, and it does cause breathing problems. It can also lead to fluid build up in the abdomen, which could explain the big belly. She should be seen by a vet for these issues.

You do need more testing to find out what is going on. It can be fluid build up but you need blood work and an ultrasound to see if the fluid is leaking from the intestines or liver congestion secondary from heart disease. sometimes a diet change can help or the fluid may need to be drained to have it evaluated for cells. Without a diagnosis and more testing it is hard to help you further

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Fat can accumulate in other areas than just under the skin. It can also accumulate in the abdomen and chest. What you are pinching in the picture is just skin, not the fat underneath the skin. To assess fat, you need to feel the ribs. If you have to push and cannot readily feel the ribs then Krispy is overweight. You should also see an hourglass shape in the abdomen when looking at him from the side and the top. It looks like Krispy doesn't have an hourglass shape, therefore he is overweight. The assessment of weight isn't just based upon numbers on a scale, but 64 pounds seems excessive for a dog that size. I hope this helps! Kisses to Krispy!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. Ascites is commonly the result of heart failure in a dog. It can also be related to cancer in the abdomen, uncontrolled bleeding, low blood protein levels or bladder rupture. I hope this information helps.

Poor Storm! It's hard to say for sure what might be causing this without seeing him. From what you describe, I would be concerned that he may have a testicular infection or even testicular cancer. If his belly looks swollen, this is often a sign of fluid in the abdomen, which can be caused by cancer, liver failure, heart disease, or internal bleeding. It does sounds like this is a serious problem, so I would recommend having him seen by a vet right away - he/she can do blood work and x-rays to help determine the problem and see what can be done to help him.

Hello. Her liver values are not bad at all, & her liver does not look enlarged. You might want to request a test to look at bile acids & perhaps an abdominal ultrasound to see if the x-ray has missed something in the abdomen. Finish the Doxycycline, & see if she truly has Ehrlichiosis or if this is just a red herring. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.