Cat X-ray shows fluid, but no symptoms. Can X-rays be wrong?

Unfortunately the quality of the image coming through to us isn't great. If you are talking about the circular area on the upper right side of the abdomen, this is gas in the stomach and can be normal. If your vet wants to try additional diagnostics but doesn't have ultrasound, they could do a barium study, or they could send the x-rays to a radiologist for review (a veterinary radiologist has extensive training at reviewing x-rays and so can sometimes interpret things a regular vet may not). X-rays can be send electronically to a radiologist for review through various services, so I would ask them if they feel either of these options would be appropriate.

Fluids in the abdomen can be caused by a lot of things and it usually makes the xray non diagnostical, at this age FIP can be one of the causes but it could also be a severe gastrointestinal infection or a liver problem. The next stage will be a specialist ultrasound, fluids might need to be drained first.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From the X-rays, I can see that Mara's abdomen appears to be filled with fluid. It is obscuring his liver and intestines from being seen and there may even be a small amount in his lungs. Unfortunately it is impossible to tell what the fluid is from the x-ray alone. His blood work shows some abnormalities with his electrolytes, which may be if he is not eating or from fluid in the abdomen. Mara also has a high white blood cell count, these are the cells that are responsible for fighting off infections and increase if there is one present. Your vet can run some additional diagnostics, and perform a tap and remove the fluid as well as a blood test to determine if Mara is infected with FIP, a mutated form of a common virus that cats are exposed to. I hope this helps!

The area circled looks like gas but there is decreased detail in the abdomen so I am worried there could be some fluid in the abdominal cavity. Your vet could do an abdominal ultrasound to evaluate the abdomen and determine if there is a problem that needs to be treated.

In my opinion going to the ER would be best, although you may not be able to have a full ultrasound until Monday morning. Some potential causes of fluid in the abdomen include an infection or abscess in the abdomen, diseases like FIP, or cancer. If there were an infection it would be best to start treatment sooner rather than later. An ER vet could take a sample of fluid to examine for signs of white blood cells or bacteria and might be able to perform a limited ultrasound. It's also possible that a specialist could be called in to perform a full ultrasound if needed over the weekend.

Thank you for contacting Pet Coach with your question. X-rays produce images of the structures inside the body. Bone is the most dense, so it shows up as a white. X-rays are the best for visualizing bones. You can see organs and tumors, they will show up as shades of gray. In order to better visualize them, however, ultrasound, an MRI, or CAT scan would be better. I hope this helps.

It is always hard to look at x-rays on a computer screen like this. I am not seeing clear fluid, but I can't be certain. Marbocyl is a type of antibiotic that can be used with bacterial pneumonia. Other causes of increased respiratory rate are being hot (though this isn't the most common cause), infection (bacterial and viral), heart disease (needs a heart ultrasound), asthma, pain, anemia, kidney disease, among others. If the antibiotics do not show improvement in another day or two, I would take Leo back to the vet for additional testing (including other views of the chest x-rays).