My senior golden is eating less. Is his belly button mass serious?

Poor Storm! It's hard to say for sure what might be causing this without seeing him. From what you describe, I would be concerned that he may have a testicular infection or even testicular cancer. If his belly looks swollen, this is often a sign of fluid in the abdomen, which can be caused by cancer, liver failure, heart disease, or internal bleeding. It does sounds like this is a serious problem, so I would recommend having him seen by a vet right away - he/she can do blood work and x-rays to help determine the problem and see what can be done to help him.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Gum seems to have a decreased appetite and is more lethargic. While these are vague clinical signs, these may be due to some sort of underlying disease of either the gastrointestinal tract, liver or kidney disease, and/or a possible neoplastic or cancerous process. Since he has had a decreased appetite long enough to lose weight, I recommend having him evaluated by your veterinarian at their next available appointment. Your vet can perform bloodwork to look for any evidence of systemic illness that may be contributing to his clinical signs. His clinical signs are unlikely due to behavioral changes alone. I hope this is helpful - best of luck with Gum!

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. These symptoms are concerning, especially coming from an older pet lIke Blue. His warm feeling body could indicate an internal infection or inflammatory disorder, and his panting and swollen stomach could indicate underlying heart disease, an infection, or even cancer has to be considered here. I would highly recommend taking him in to your vet to have some testing done as soon as possible. The vet needs to do some bloodwork analysis and an x-ray to find out the underlying cause for his symptoms, since there are several disease processes that can cause the same symptoms. I do hope that Blue is able to make a full and speedy recovery with a diagnosis that is readily treatable. I wish you all the best! Take care.

I'm sorry your dog isn't feeling well. Regarding your comment about leaving kibble in his bowl without eating it, yet still eating 2 cans of food a day and some treats--it sounds like he is getting enough food and appetite is not a problem. When you say he is "pooping everything out," is he having diarrhea? Or does it seem that he is losing weight even though he is eating a lot? Or is he pooping very frequently? To review the list of problems/symptoms that you have given: *losing weight even though he is eating a lot (if this is what you mean by "pooping everything out") *uncomfortable/moaning *enlarged liver *blood test negative for Cushings disease Considering that he is 13, given the problem list above one of the biggest things I would worry about is cancer of some kind, and arthritis may be contributing to his discomfort. Unfortunately there is not any ONE test for cancer, so its not something your vet can just submit a blood sample and get an answer for. If you are wanting to KNOW what her diagnosis is, your vet will need to run full lab work (a full chemistry profile, a complete blood count, and a urinalysis), take X-rays of his chest, and probably perform an abdominal ultrasound (sonogram of the belly) as well. If an abnormality is discovered on X-rays or ultrasound, a biopsy may needed. Regardless of the cause, and even if you don't have funds to do a lot of diagnostics, you can focus on making him comfortable, with the understanding that his time may be limited. Ask your vet about pain medications. Don't worry about him not eating kibble--if he prefers canned food that is fine. I'm sorry I cannot give you black and white answers as to what is wrong. But he's a very lucky boy to have someone who cares so much for him. Wishing you both the best. Thanks so much for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would definitely recommend some blood work, if this hasn't been done recently. Older dogs are prone to a number of health issues that can cause decreased appetite along with being less active - chronic kidney disease and hypothyroidism are two possibilities that are both very common. In many cases, these issues are treatable (at least to some extent) once a diagnosis is made, so it's well worth checking for them if you can - hopefully, there are some things you can do to make him feel better for as long as possible, even though he's getting older.

When internal organs slip through an umbilical hernia, the swelling tends to become larger very quickly and is very painful. That does not seem to be the case with Charlie which is good. Umbilical hernias are normally present at birth and should not develop later in life. This swelling also looks like it is a little higher than his umbilicus, so it may not be an umbilical hernia. Depending on what your vet thinks, they may perform a fine needle aspirate to collect a few cells and decide what it is and if anything needs to be done about it. If it is a benign mass, they may not recommend any treatment. If they think it may be a hernia or if they see any concerning cells, they may recommend surgery. Hopefully your vet appointment will put your mind at ease. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would have Abby seen by a vet for this bulge which could be a mass. Unfortunately in senior dogs, there is always a chance a mass could be malignant. It could be compressing her intestines and colon leading to small amounts of poop being passed. Any suspicious masses should be examined by the vet. The vet can perform a test called a fine needle aspirate on it. To do this, the vet sticks a small needle into the mass to get a sample of it's cells, and examines the cells on a slide under a microscope. It's usually painless to the animal, and relatively quick to perform. I would have Abby seen by a vet first thing on Monday to have this mass examined and diagnosed so it can be treated.