My dog's ribs are showing and her ear is droopy and fluid-filled. Why?

If her ribs are really sticking out and there is no fat or muscle, then see your vet. There could be a medical cause for her condition. If your vet clears her, increase the amount of food offered until she is at an appropriate weight. Ask your vet how to perform a Body Condition Score (BCS) on your dog using the 9 point scale. Ideally, she should have a waist when looked at from above. Her ribs should be seen and easily felt under a layer of fat/muscle. From the side, her chest should tuck up into her abdomen.

Yes, I would be worried about Amelia. Dogs have a higher temperature than humans normally, so she may not have a fever. She could be in pain causing the shivering and not eating. I see that she isn't spayed, and she could be suffering from a pyometra. This is an infection of the uterus that is fatal without treatment, and will cause pain and a lack of appetite. It could also be she injured herself, but without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain. Because I can't rule out a pyometra and the fact that it's very serious, I think it's best you take her into a vet immediately. If she does have a pyometra, spaying her is part of the recommended treatment. Please take her into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

This looks like an aural hematoma, which is when blood and fluid builds up between the outer layer of the ear. Unfortunately this cannot be treated at home, Buddy needs to see a vet to have it treated. I'd take him into one today.

Yes, it sounds like something is bothering her. Dogs have very long ear canals so what you can see just by holding up the ear flap and looking down there is not even 10% of the ear. It is best to take her to the vet so they can look down into the ear with an otoscope to see if there is something down there.

Hi there. I can't say for sure without being able to examine him, but what you're describing sounds like an aural hematoma - this is basically a pocket of blood in the ear flap. It's usually caused by the dog shaking his head or scratching at the ear due to an underlying ear infection or other problem, which can cause a blood vessel in the ear flap to tear. If he does have an aural hematoma, this can either be surgically drained by your veterinarian, or managed with anti-inflammatory medication and time until it eventually resolves on its own. I would recommend taking Herbie to the vet when you're able to, to confirm the diagnosis and see what your veterinarian suggests as the best course of action.

If the ear is droopy and she is shaking her head she probably has an ear infection. Because of the head shaking and probably scratching as well, blood vessels in the ear are exploding, causing blood and fluids to fill the pinea ans swell. This condition is called "ear hematoma" and needs medical or surgical treatment. The ear infection needs to be treated as well as it is the primary cause, usually ear drops from the vet will solve this, in some cases systemic antibiotics are prescribed as well. Regarding the the droopy ear I personally prefer the medical treatment (steroids for 4 weeks) over the surgical one, unfortunately most vets will still opt for the surgery.

With the description of her belly dropping and back bone being more exposed, I would worry about any fluid retention or build up. This can be caused from liver disease, protein losing enteropathy, heart disease, or cancer. Cushing's disease make them appear pot bellied with out building up fluids accumulation though. Knowing her symptoms and what medicines she has been will help with a better answer and possibly eliminate some of these options. But ideally your next step is an x ray or ultrasound to look in there to see what is going on. It is the only way you will get better answers and see if a surgery to explore or get a biopsy is needed to better treat her and help her feel better.