My dog's belly is swollen. What causes fluid buildup (ascites)?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Pug | Male | 2 years and 2 months old | 10 lbs
Why ascites common in dog
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on November 22nd, 2018
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.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on September 11th, 2018
Ascites, or fluid in the abdomen, can be caused by infections, inflammatory disease like pancreatitis, liver failure, heart failure or cancer. I would expect that blood work would be abnormal with inflammatory or infectious diseases or liver disease. If your vet has run all of the tests they can you may want to ask about referral to a specialist to figure out what’s going on: they might recommend an ultrasound or a CT scan.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My 8 year old Labrador has had a swollen abdomen for the past two months, we had her scanned and the doc said that hear organs were floating in fluids and then we had 2 litres of the fluid removed but it didnt make a difference.. and all other tests
Ascites, or fluid in the abdomen, can be caused by infections, inflammatory disease like pancreatitis, liver failure, heart failure or cancer. I would expect that blood work would be abnormal with inflammatory or infectious diseases or liver disease. If your vet has run all of the tests they can you may want to ask about referral to a specialist to figure out what’s going on: they might recommend an ultrasound or a CT scan.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 4 yr terrier mix that I adopted from a shelter at 6 wks has swollen abdomen or stomach with neg heart worm test and fecal test. Told he has free flowing fluid in his chest but heart sounds good. She gave him a diuretic yesterday for it. Just awoke
Hello, sorry to hear about Prince. It sounds like he may have right sided heart disease in which the blood backs up into his veins and the vascular fluid begins to leak out of the vessels. This generally leads to fluid in the belly causing abdominal distention, fluid in the chest, and subcutaneous fluid. Other causes of 3rd spacing can be associated with a low protein level either due to liver disease or loss of protein through the kidneys or bowel. It sounds like prince needs to have a full evaluation of his vital organs and this may include bloodwork, an abdominal ultrasound, a heart ultrasound, and blood pressure monitoring. Ultimately, Prince may need to be evaluated by his veterinarian or an internist to determine why he is having fluid accumulation outside of his vasculature. Hope this helps and best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Buddy has always been in good health and inside dog I noticed his belly is swollen and he can't see very good. Please help. Thank you
Thank you for using Boop by Petco! Abdominal distension could be due to fluid accumulation in the abdomen, organ enlargement, weakening of the abdominal muscles, or other problems not listed here. You should take him to a veterinarian for an examination. They may recommend testing to determine the cause.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
His stomach is getting fatty May be problem of fluid bloating
If he is retching like he wants to vomit but cannot, take him to the vet IMMEDIATELY, as this could be a sign of a possible GDV (twisted stomach bloat) which is a surgical emergency. Likewise, if he is very weak, if his gums appear pale, or his cannot rise on his own, take him IMMEDIATELY, as this would concern me for a possible hemoabdomen (bleeding into the abdomen, often caused by a ruptured tumor on the spleen; this too is life threatening and time sensitive. Fluid buildup in the abdomen is possible as well and can occur for a number of reasons. The following are some possible causes: -liver failure -low proteins -cancer -heart failure -fluid around the heart -heartworm disease Other possible causes for a distended abdomen that occur more gradully can include: enlarged liver weight gain cancer Regardless of the cause of the appearance of his abdomen, you do need to have him seen by a vet very soon. Please refer back to the first 2 paragraphs and take him to a vet ER if he
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog overate back in December but his stomach never got smaller. He looks bloated for over 5 months now. He has regular bowl movements but has big appetite and breaths fast and tried to gag. He is 11. He is losing weight and breaths with difficulty
Fluid accumulation in the abdomen is often secondary to heart disease (valvular disease, heart worms, cardiomyopathy) ..or...some type of malignancy. Tumors in the abdominal cavity can sometimes be associated with fluid build up. It is important to do some additional diagnostic tests. Survey radiographs to start, then it may be advised to move on to an ultrasound....either of the heart or if the abdomen depending on radiograph findings. The ultrasound can be particularly helpful in cases like this where fluid accumulation reduces the ability to see vital structures on radiographs. This most likely had nothing to do with a case of overeating. There is likely some disease process that has been going on for some time. I hope you can get some answers soon. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 2 mths old female lab puppy has been diagnosed with ascites
I am so sorry that your sweet Jenny has been diagnosed with ascites. There are a few different possibilities that can cause this including but not limited to a liver shunt (the blood bypasses the liver and doesn't detox like it should), congenital heart problems, low protein, a viral infection, a bacterial infection, parasites and more. I would recommend starting with a full panel of blood work and a fecal. Depending on the results, your vet may want to send in some of the fluid from her abdomen, perform x-rays, and/or an ultrasound. I hope you all are able to resolve this and she gets better really soon! Hugs!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has abdominal pain. Her abdomen is distended for 3 days now. She is able to urinate and poo. She does not move that much. What should I do?
Hi and thanks for posting on Boop by Petco. This is very concerning and may be due to something more serious than just simple constipation. Abdominal fluid due to liver disease, heart failure, kidney failure, or cancers can be a cause as well as endocrine disease such as Cushing's disease or parasitic infections such as a heavy roundworm infection can be potential causes. I recommend Garlic see her veterinarian as soon as possible. Your vet will do a hands on exam and may recommend x-rays to check for free fluid in the abdomen and may run blood work as well to help pinpoint a cause.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Was wanting to send pic but over pass 3 days by pit has got what seems to look like tumar on right side and looks like he has swallowed basketball and its just stuck there but it has gotten larger.. What could this be?
Such a greatly distended abdomen should be addressed by your veterinarian as soon as possible. It may be an aggressive tumor or fluid accumulation. Either can be quite serious given the size you describe. A physical exam, abdominal xrays and blood work should all be a part of the diagnostic process.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I took my dog to the vet for a swollen stomach. It's not bloat or congestive heart failure. They drained his stomach. The fluid was clear with no infection. He's negative for parasites. So the vet gave him a diuretic and absorbine for toxins. The nex
Fluid in the abdomen is usually caused by either heart failure, low blood protein levels, or cancer. Blood work should be done to check protein levels. A follow up appointment with your veterinarian soon is important, and more work up should be done to identify the cause. Blood work, urinalysis, and ultrasound are the steps I would usually take is a case such as Major to find the problem and develop the best treatment options. Best of luck and I hope you find an answer soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I recently notice that my dog stomach has swelling so I went to vet where they done ultrasound and in reports it came some fluid but I dont know what It is exactly neither vet told me anything so i am attaching ultrasound reports as well as photo of
Hello, sorry to hear about Ludo. It looks like they noted free fluid within his peritoneal (abdominal) cavity. This can be caused by multiple different things and there could be different types of fluid including (Blood, infection, urine, or even clear vascular fluid). This can be differentiated with further diagnostics such as sampling the fluid. Once we know what type of fluid is in his abdomen (blood vs infection vs vascular fluid) then you could have different causes for that fluid. Its unlikely that glucosamine is causing this fluid. Speak with your veterinarian about sampling this fluid to obtain better informed likely diagnosis. Possibilites include: Blood - cancer vs trauma Infection - penetrating abdominal wound vs intestinal perforation Vascular fluid - Low protein vs heart failure Urine - ruptured urinary bladder Hope this helps and best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Have A Vet Question?
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
?){kind=link}