Ascites in Dogs

We rescued a 14 wk old female Lab/Great Dane mix who came to us a month ago from high kill shelter with a huge swollen belly. It’s not bloat, she’s also tested negative for all internal parasites repeatedly. She was given Trifexis and broad spectrum dewormer (pyrantel pamoate/praziquantel 114mg) by rescue org 2 days prior to us getting her and given 2nd dose of dewormer along with her 2nd set of vaccines from our vet as well. Our vet said last Friday that “some puppies just have big guts” after taking her back 3rd time when swelling didn’t go down after 4 wks, she again tested negative for all parasites. His answer doesn’t sit well with me, her belly is distended for some reason. It looks like she has “hay belly or barrel gut” as we call it in horses. She’s very thin through her flank, but belly is big & firm and hangs low almost like pot belly pig, I know from being around horses that it’s a sign of an unhealthy animal. Her stool has been perfect puppy poop, no diarrhea what so ever. Also, all of her bloodwork came back puppy perfect as well. Her appetite is excellent as is her attitude, she doesn’t seem to be in any pain and joyfully plays with our other dogs sporadically throughout the day, but she’s VERY restless when trying to sleep. She’ll only sleep on hard surfaces, she doesn’t even like being on couch or bed w/ other digs and prefers hard tile floor and no mat in crate. I figured that behavior was from being born & raised on concrete floor at shelter. Shes VERY low energy pup, I contributed that to Great Dane couch potato side of her breed, in my opinion young pups should be a lot more active at this age. She also has weird eye, scleara around left eye much bigger than her right, it’s not painful to her and her vision is fine out of weird eye. Dr said it was normal like her belly, not! I know, need to find new vet ASAP, our awesome old vet retired recently and sold practice to this new guy. However, she was diagnosed with ‘Wobbler Syndrome” this past Friday which is devastating for our Bella. I found info about Ascites online, wondering if that’s what she may have and what kind of vet do I need to bring her to so I can have her swollen belly PROPERLY diagnosed. If not Ascites, what the heck is wrong with my pup and how can I find out? Please help!

Hello, my 4 month old french bull dog was initially diagnioised with tick fever, his platelets went down drastically. He was prescirbed zedox and lysibin tablets. He started showing signs of improvement however since almost a month he has bloated stomach. couple of weeks back the scanning showed some problem in is liver. His hemoglbing levels are between 6-6.5 and because of this he is also anemic. Currently doctor has stopped all medicines and only prescribed denamarin as the tick fever symptoms have subsided. Currently he is mildly active plays around sometime of the day. Generally alert, eats his food but only if there is egg ! we give him puppy kibbles from royal canin with boiled egg white. Are there any specific food, medicnes available for liver issues and increasing hemoglobin levels and what are the chances of him getting back to normal and by when ?

My 12 year old yorkie yes having a bout of what we thought was IBD but it went on a good deal longer than usual and she was began to lose a lot of weight. Vet placed her on Flagyl after a couple days the wet stools cleared but I noticed her abdomen looked swollen. The vet just found peach colored fluid in her abdomen. Her blood levels all came out good and besides a heart murmur her heart looked good on ultrasound. They want to do a more in depth ultrasound but it seems like something should’ve picked up in her blood panel?! She won’t leave my side and lays around all day now. I feel so terrible.

My 10 year old Chihuahua was diagnosed with CHF and right side heart failure back in November of last year. An initial injection of Lasix removed the build up of Acites and he was then put on two half tablets a day. He was doing well until about a month ago and slowly over the past month his Abdomen again started swelling, we had the fluid drained about 18 days ago and now the fluid has returned at an even higher level. He is now eating substantially less and is obviously uncomfortable. He is still drinking, weeing and walking around okay. I am at a loss whether to have the fluid drained again and then the cardiologist said she could put him on a significantly higher dose of lasix and see how he goes and if the fluid will stay away for longer. We are not opting for heart surgery. I would like your opinion if I am being cruel in trying to pro long his life and if the abdocentisis is a painful procedure. Thanks Jo

hi my puppy is an 11wks old shih tzu. i got her 2 wks ago (8wks old) the seller said she had 1 vaccine and 1 deworming. 0.5kg
i have noticed that her gums were pale. so i consulted a vet and she was given vitamin b complex with iron
after 1 wk she was a little lethargic, but with good appetite and good urine output. she had no diarrhea, but i have noticed that her abdomen was a little big.
so since she was scheduled for her next vaccine i brought her to the vet and informed the vet of my concerns. the vaccine was not administered and i was advised to observe her for 24 hours.
the symptoms persisted with increasing abdominal girth, her abdomen was like about to explode.
i went to the vet the following day and she was admitted and the vet said she has worms. antibiotics and deworming was done.
there was a little improvement.
she was discharged after 3 days with worsening ascites
take home meds cefalexin
her cbc
sept 11- sept 14
hg-5 hg-2.9
wbc- 7 wbc-5
platelet- 3 platelet-13

Hello, our dog has abdominal effusion and has been drained many times but the vet says he won’t drain her anymore, it’s nearly her time to go and we really want it to be peaceful; would a dog suffering from this usually be in pain when they die? How would it usually happen?

My 11 1/2 year old pug was rushed to the emergency vets on Monday evening as she had a swollen tummy and was struggling to breath, she is still at the veterinary hospital whop have diagnosed free fluid in her abdomen and low protein levels but are struggling to find a cause. My dog keeps spiking a high temperature despite being on intravenous paracetamol and broad spectrum antibiotics which worries me - could this be indicative of an infection rather than of heart/liver/kidney failure? Am desperate, please advise ASAP. Thank you

Good afternoon,
4 yr. old 95 lb. (BCS 3/5) NM German Shepherd went in for annual wellness labs, vaccines, and Proheart injection. Labs showed mildly elevated ALT=193 and ALP=167, all else within normal limits. Asymptomatic, fed V-dog (vegan dry food) with occasional fresh carrots or blueberries as treats, no dietary indiscretions, no medications (medication hx- was treated with Panacur for whipworms and Mometamax when intially adopted from shelter at 1 yr. old). Waited 4-6 weeks, repeated a more comprehensive panel to recheck for increasing trend: CBC and thyroid normal, Ca and P normal; elevations were ALT=252, AST=66, ALP=202, GGT=19, Total Bilirubin= 0.4, and unconjugated Bilirubin= 0.3; decreased Lipase 46. Still asymptomatic, no changes in lifestyle at home. Started on VetriSciencePro Hepaticlear-2# chew supplements BID and scheduled recheck for 4 weeks later. After 15 days, noticed enlarged abdomen- became noticeable and significant after ~4 days. Recheck with vet- only change at home is that he has been hesitant to jump onto bed, no change in diet, activity, alertness. New weight- 106 lbs., mm pink, CRT <2 sec, no pain response on palpation of abdomen,no distressed breathing, no abnormalities in thoracic auscultation, ascites present. Abd rads show marked amount of fluid in the abdomen, no visual displacement of organs, no visible enlargement of liver or spleen, no indication of mass- like structures seen, and he was very compliant with positioning and palpation. Vet recommended not performing a abdominocentesis because he is currently stable and not showing any other symptoms of the fluid causing pain or difficulty breathing, and wanted to avoid causing hypovolemia/re-filling of the abdomen due to protein loss after the fluid is removed. Sent home to continue liver support chews, and referral to specialty clinic for ultrasound and biopsy of liver in 2 days (because it is Saturday).

Ok my dog has a good possibility that he has ascites he has been having this symptom for a while it didn't occur to me when my girlfriend showed me that when I thought his joints were getting bad from getting old but when my girlfriend showed me the ascites I'm more worried and I do not know what to do what can I do to ease through it or do I have to go to a vet?

My 10 year old cocker spaniel is in final stages of heart failure. She is on max medication- vetmedin,cardalysis, frusidine, moduret and had fluid removed from her abdomen 2 weeks ago to help her be more comfortable in her final days. I’m not sure what to expect. She seems happy in that wags tail and still begs for treats although eats little. She will lay down on a bed with lots of pillows but does spend a lot of time sitting up with laboured breathing. How will I now when she’s had enough. Please advice

my dog is 8yrs..i checked her because she urinated dark colured urine and her skin was pale yellow for 10 days whwn i noticed. In blood test report alp level is so high that was 419 and doctor said that she is sufferening frm icterus...in addition, there is fluid in abdomen...doctor recommended me to give her plenty of glucose water...and also precribed medicine named cefalexein and liv 52 .(ayurvedic medicine).and suggested to restrict salt and processed food...now my doggy is free from pale yellow ness. and urine is not so much darker..but i m noticing bubbles in her urine ...when she urinates in plaster ceiling bubbles is appeared...her abdomin is no changed at all..i told doctor about this he said that her body tempreture is alright so no need to worry because if there is infection,temreture will be increased..and suggested to continu to drink more glucose water..her apetite rate is not changed..she eats as usual..now plz suggest me what should i do for this...what should i do giv to my doggy to reduce abdominal fluid and urine foamness...

My maltese dog developed overnite a distended belly. She had no symptoms:no fever,no vomiting,no loss of apetite just a little discomfort due to the distended belly. Sonogram, x-ray, and blood work only showed low blood protein. The vet prescribed prednisone & antibiotic. After 24 hours, i don't see any improvement in her belly. what else can i do?

Hi! My 1½ year old male Labrador has fluid in his abdomen and the vet said it's due to liver problem. He gave some medicine for which my dog is urinating a lot. We're giving him low sodium diet as prescribed by the vet. I WANT TO KNOW HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECOVER FROM ASCITES DUE TO LIVER PROBLEM?

my dog is 11 years old boston terrier and we just found out his belly is full of fluid and vet took sample and test it and they didn't see any cancer cells in the fluid. They cant completely rule out cancer but there's nothing obvious that indicates cancer. He does have some "benign nodules" on his liver and spleen. They think that's age related but they can take a sample of that stuff also to make sure.
Everything seems to point to heart disease so they recommend we have the specialist take a look, vet gave us furosemide for reduce the fluid and today is 2n day he taking med , just want make sure we are on the right track and and next step to see the heart specialist is right move. we did US and blood work , i just dont know why vet still cant tell where this fluid came from..

My dog Oscar had fluid accumulation in his stomach.he had his fluid removed and now it has starting to buiLD up fluid again.we got his blood test and everything was alright but blood urea and creatinine was just above the level.my vet said he had ascites.please recommend his treatment. he also told he had liver prblm

My dog has been reviwwd by vet weekly and placed on diuretics he is very breathless and fatigued he cannot lie on his side he isn't sleeping at night although he is eating and going out for a wee and doing his business he had been yelping out and walking around in circles initially then the vet said it was the fluid in his abdomen this has reduced with the tablets however the vet said his heart was weak and to consider best options as he is a big dog and would not tolerate surgery he is due to be put to sleep tomorrow I just want to feel I have covered every option can you please advise thsnk you

Ricky Ricardo started out losing his hair... we took him in and while testing for Cushings they found extremely elevated liver enzymes. After bile acid, protein C, ultrasound, and CT scan they finally did a liver biopsy and also removed his gallbladder. He has a E-coli infection that they think started in the gallbladder and spread to the liver. He had 24 hrs of Unasyn and then was sent home on Amoxicillin and Clavulatanate 5 days post op Ricky ate a can of cat food and by that night he was vomiting, his new diagnosis was pancreatitis. But his ALP also went from 1703 to almost 4000. So they started him on restarted him on IV Unasyn and another stronger antibiotic. He's also receiving IV fluids and he was NPO for 24 hrs. Now he's spiked a temp of 107 and has developed a small amount of ascites. The vet said it's caused by the pancreas and not the liver and that his prognosis is good... they will continue the IV therapy and fat free food... so far the only thing he will eat is chicken breast. He doesn't appear to be in any pain... we are waiting for his repeat liver enzyme report. What do you think of his prognosis?

My dog was diagnosed with liver problems a couple months ago she had really high alp levels. She's been taking ursodiol, denamarin, vitamin E, and some other meds that I can't remember the name to. But she is currently very bloated her stomach is really big now and they gave her some pills to help her drink a lot of water so she can urine often but it's not working she's still really bloated she is a small dog and her stomach is really big she hasn't been eating well I can't get her to eat more than one can a day. She's on a diet where all she's eating is canned ID and WD. What advice do you guys have on what I should do?? Her vet isn't giving me many options besides a liver biopsy but she is telling me that my dog will most likely not get better. But what can I do to keep her comfortable ?

Hello my dog was diagnosed with cushings disease almost 2 yrs ago and has been on Vetoryl ever since. I have monitored her liver and kidney functions on a quarterly basis. Her liver enzymes have been high throughout. A few months ago a heart murmur was detected followed by high blood pressure and she was put on Enalapril. Last week her abdomen was noticeably descended I took her in to her vet, no test but was told it was ascites and that she only had a few days to maybe a week to live.
I know she is not young but still eating and drinking normally, playful, barks when needs something, etc. She is a little slower and having some problems defecating.

My 6 year old Border Collie lungs filled up with fluid. We were sent to the OSU veterinary school for an evaluation. They did a CT scan, blood work and the removal of fluid from his right lung. At that time it was only in his right lung. The CT scan showed no tumors or any abnormalities. All lab work came back as negative. Although his liver enzymes were slightly elevated they were only slightly higher than previous reports. They didn’t think it was cardiac related.
Weekly he’s been having his right lung drained and now he has fluid in his abdomen.
In between his fluid removal procedures, he seems to eat well and be his normal self.
I’m desperately seeking your help.

My dog has pyometra 1year ago but she recover through medicines and not undergo spay. Exactly 1 year her stomach bloats and she had brownish discharge coming from her urine passes. We rush him in a vet and we thought they need to spay her but they said it is too late because the reason her stomach bloat is because she has ascites. They remove only enough water from her stomach which is color brown. They gave anestesia to my dog while doing this. After that they give her furosemide, godex-ds(liver conditioner) doxycycline. Because it is only a public vet. Some medicine they recommend is for human. Thats why after 5days because its christmas season there is no clinic in our place thats why we count days before we rush him in other private veterinary clinic. But after that she becomes ok and eat a lot.. but to be sure we seek other vet and the doctor give him medicine for dog which is doxycycline 2x a day,furosemide 2x a day for 7days, anti-anemia 2x a day. They perform bloodtest only and they tell me her WBA become 35 which is normal is 15 (i dont understand but i have the test if ever you want to send those pic i am willing to send it for clarification) she has also positive for heartworm..after 14days her stomach bloats. And they need to remove again fluids.. but this time she becomes worst. Even if before his second removal of fluids she ate a lot and look very healthy. Her urine is almost clear and her stool is not liquid always whole and many no sign of blood stain. While removing some fluids she vomit thats why they stop to remove while she is on process they give her again anestesia while doing that.. now his WBA become 40.. they said it become worst. Now my dog is in the process of revovery of removing fluid she looks very tired.. but the good news is he ate and she is pee 4 times this day and poop one time in normal look.. her medicine added amoxiclav.. she never undergo on xray or ultrasound.. we only have limited veterinary clinic in our place..i only rescue her when she was a little in the mountain and keep her in my home at the province. She is 8years old and i see she want to be brave and fight her infection because she take her all medicine and food in no worries She is a very nice and good dog.. is there anything that i can do or a chance to recover.. her stomach is starting bloating again and this time no more discharge coming in her urinary pass.

Is it possible for a dog to have relatively normal LFT’s but have end stage liver disease? Lacey has ascites (800 cc drained 3 days ago and fluid coming back) cardiomegaly but no evidence of heart failure, muscle wasting, seizure d/o. ALB 2.6; ALP 137; ALT 68; AMY 552; TBIL 0.2; TP 4.8; GLOB 2.2; creat 0.7 BUN 24

My 6 year old dog has had fluid accumulation in the abdomen. She was given a diuretic and put on a high protein diet. Kidneys seem to be fine. Chemical panel showed low protein levels. I read that inactivity could contribute to edema. Is this true?

My dog had a skin tumour removed in March and a bioposy showed it to be cancerous with a high probability of having spread. At that time his liver enzymes where off-the-charts high but he seemed healthy. In August he began to drink excessively and eat less; repeat bloodwork showed even higher liver enzymes as well as early stage kidney failure. Now his eyes are turning yellow, and his belly is definitely getting bigger. He is still eating (if gourmet meals) but not drinking very much. Still seems happy when awake but sleeps most of the time. Any idea how much time I have left with him? Before his suffering gets too bad...

MY 10 year old maltese shitzu got ascites. He has been thru surgery twice but the fluid in the abdomen came back. Just had an ultra sound today but nothing found thru large amount of fluid in his tummy. Vets in our area don't want to drain any fluid as they beleive that it would come back quicker.He is on chinese herbs and other natural water pill but still no sign of working.

My Golden retriever is of 5 months old but looks like 3 months only. At 3 Months old, one fine day we realized that he is suffering from constipation for 3 days with bloated stomach. took for vet doctor but she diagnosed my pet to be suffering from Ascites.
Changed doctor as we want medicines rather than injection to push such a small kid. Now after 2 months treatment with Lasix 40 mg, Urispas etc all medicines too he lost his appetite. Lethargic, silent and missing his mischievous activities.My pet ignore any gastro pet food but eat rice with low protein content vegetables etc.
I feel bad that he is not like other normal dog,not able to eat abundantly but eat little at a time with more frequency.
Excessive food make him vomit sometimes.

Hi, ascites on ultrasound and two undefined masses. Low albumin on bloods, less energy. Bowel motions occasionally hard. Planned bile acid stimulation test considered lacking in value following ultrasound findings. Advised further investigation possible but fairly certain advanced cancer. I am not keen to subject her to multiple stressful vet visits ( she does hate going) and so think palliative care is preferred route. I know dogs can tolerate chemo better than humans and cost is not a deterrent but if diagnosis is definite I would not choose further investigation. Do you feel ultrasound and symptoms can be definite or should I have accepted lab analysis of the fluid. Nine years old shepherd.

Hello doc
My rott Oscar had fluid build up in his abdomen from the last 6 months.we took him to the Indian vet research institute where they tested his blood .the report indicated that blood urea and creatinine are slightly increased .his blood also tested negative for any blood parasite also.his ascitic fluid report indicated that the fluid was haemmoragic .so he had there his fluid tapped. But after two weeks fluid build up started.so our local vet incorrectly tapped him and now fluid has accumulated between the abdomen and skin.please advice us.

My 7 year old Bloodhound, Winston, has been suffering from Ascites now for almost (2) months. I have taken him to (5) vets now, (3) of which are supposed specialist, we still do not have a diagnosis. He has had numerous blood tests, fluid tests, an ultrasound & (2) echoes - the pet cardiologists confirmed yesterday it is not heart disease or congestive heart failure. I also have him on a prescription, low fat diet, a diuretic & giving him a b-12 shot once a week. Although cancer has not been ruled out, it has not been detected with any of the testing either. We have had the fluid drained (4) times now - each time being around 5-6 liters & it is accumulating on a weekly basis now. Although the fluid makes him uncomfortable, he is eating, drinking well & having no issues with digestion/diarrhea. We have now spent close to $4K & I literally have no answers & I am at my wits end. He is an extremely happy, laidback boy & this is so extremely frustrating & heartbreaking. I cannot justify putting him down, but we are at a loss......Any, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, my 2 year and 7 month old douge de bordeaux was diagnosed with ascites almost a month back. His heart is not able to pump enough blood to the body which results in water accumulation around stomach area. Since then there have been regular vet visits. Once in a week I go to vet and almost 3.5-5 litre of water is drained. His stomach area bloats and he's not able to sleep or lie down. As per doc this cannot be cured and we have to keep draining water every week along with medication. He has lost around 15 kg weight. He was 66kg at peak and now he's 51 kg

My 16 year old dachshund went to the vet in December and she had liver damage and I want to say a grade 3 heart murmur. The vet gave her medicine to coat her liver and protect and she has been on a boiled chicken and rice diet ever since. I ran out of the medicine and have been barely surviving financially so I have not been able to get her medicine refilled. Now her belly has swollen so big that she can barely walk and when she does she is all off balance. She still has an appetite. I am taking her to the vet Monday. What is the most likely cause and can it be treated? She is my baby and I know she has lived a long life but I want to do anything I can to to help her live.

Blood analysis shows decrease in protein and albumin but the cause is unknown. He has chronic diarrhea & GI issues altho controlled by Tylan powder and metronidazole. Liver and kidneys are good. Vet recommended ultrasound which confirmed fluid leaking into the gut and liver/kidneys looked normal. Other alternatives are biopsy but protein/albumin so low is not recommended due to risk of healing and/or infection. He had 350cc's drained but 12 days later, stomach seems bloated and tight again. Endoscopy was recommended but will give limited diagnosis. Chronic draining wasn't recommended as an alternative. I understand the cause must be found for treatment but right now, GI specialist recommends blood analysis again, with another ultrasound and ultimately a biopsy. He was put on 15mg prednisone. Please advise. Greatly appreciate it very much.

My rottweiler 5 months. Has got fluid incstomach. We had his fluid removed. And he was fit. But after a few days my vet says the fluid is now once again in his stomach. His ascites is due to liver problem. Please help.