My dog's stomach feels hard. What does it mean and what should I do?

Question

Why is my dog's stomach hard? Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Male | neutered | 10 lbs

Emily Fukuzato, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi and thank you for reaching out to pet coach about Peanut. If Peanut has just eaten a large amount of food within the past 1-2 hours his stomach may feel hard because it is full of food. This is normal. If it is his entire abdomen that is hard, it may be also painful. And this can be caused by inflammatory diseases or other problems in the abdomen that can be serious. If Peanut is eating and drinking well, not having any vomiting or diarrhea, and seems comfortable tonight (can lay down on his abdomen without shifting positions or crying out in pain), than I would continue to watch him closely tonight and you may want to schedule an appt. with his veterinarian tomorrow if he is not any better. He may feel completely normal by tomorrow. However, if he has not eaten, seems lethargic, and/or is having vomiting or diarrhea I recommend that you get him to a doctor to have him examined and determine the cause of this problem either just by physical exam and/or X-rays. Best of luck to Peanut.

My dog's stomach feels hard. What does it mean and what should I do?

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