Dog with swollen abdomen? Among the possible diseases you must consider the presence of adog ascites. The abdominal effusion it is a symptom of various diseases, all of which are important and must be treated as soon as possible. We specified “possible” as the main clinical sign that an owner may notice, i.e. abdominal distension, could actually also be caused by other pathologies that cause an increase in volume of the abdomen (tumor masses, distended bladder, obesity, pyometra in female dogs…).
Ascites in dogs, what are the main causes?
Ascites in dogs is also known as abdominal effusion. It’s aboutthe presence and accumulation of free fluid in the abdomen. The liquid that accumulates can be of various kinds, but in all cases it ends up compressing the abdominal organs which it is free to damage. Which compromises its functionality. Furthermore, when there is a lot of ascitic fluid, it also compresses the diaphragm, thus preventing the lungs from expanding completely and causing dyspnea.
Ascites may or may not be accompanied by pleural or thoracic effusion. There are various causes that can cause ascites in dogs, but among the most common we remember:
Symptoms of ascites in dogs
Usually i symptoms of ascites in dogs you notice them when the volume of liquid begins to be significant. Small amounts of fluid in the abdomen are not noticed unless the vet does an ultrasound (perhaps for other reasons). Among the main symptoms you will notice:
How is it treated and what is the therapy for a dog with ascites?
Before thinking about treat dog asciteswe should try to do diagnosis. Limit yourself to drain the liquid it is not the definitive solution. This is usually done to give relief to the dog in the event of a significant presence of liquid, but consider that that liquid will reform within a few days.
What the vet will do is, after examining the dog and taking some of the liquid to analyze it, a series of complete blood tests, urine tests, stool tests, abdominal ultrasound, x-ray and CT if necessary. These tests are essential to understand what the cause is.
Once the cause has been established, treatment will be carried out based on it. If we have a cardiac dog with ascitesyou will likely be prescribed diuretic and cardiac medications. But if the cause is a poisoning by rat poison or rodenticidesit will be necessary to carry out therapy with the antidote, vitamin K and possibly proceed with a blood transfusion.
Blood or plasma transfusions it may be necessary, not only in cases of anemia, but also in cases of hypoalbuminemia. If the problem is liver or kidney failure, these pathologies will need to be treated, the same applies to protein-losing enteropathy which, in addition to the administration of specific feeds, will sometimes require immunomodulatory drugs.
If you’re wondering whether to give cortisone to a dog with ascites, the answer is: it depends on the cause. It may be useful in the case of immune-based protein-losing enteropathies or in the case of tumors, but it could be counterproductive in the case of cardiomyopathies. This is to say that do-it-yourself, in these cases, is always to be avoided. If you’re wrong drugs or remediesyou quickly make the situation worse.
How long does a dog with ascites live?
How long can a dog live with ascites? It depends on the cause and how the dog responds to any therapy. If ascites in dogs is caused by a karyopathy, this is not in the final stage and the dog responds to therapy, even after a few months. If the ascites is caused by peritonitis or trauma that can be resolved, the dog will survive for years. The same applies if the ascites is caused by poisoning from rodenticides caught in time.
But if the cause of the ascites is a terminal tumor, right heart failure no longer responsive to drugs, or hypoalbuminemia from renal or intestinal loss that does not respond to any therapy, then lifespan is shortened to days or weeks at most.
However, in the case of ascites due to rupture of abdominal organs, in this case it is a veterinary emergency: a rupture of the bladder, spleen or liver can cause the dog’s death even within a few minutes.
Dog with swollen abdomen: other causes
In reality there are several causes of swollen abdomen in dogs:
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