My dog has swollen stomach, joints, breathing issues, pain. What's wrong?

Poor Cotton! I'm sorry to hear that he's not feeling well. Unfortunately, this sounds like quite a serious problem. A swollen abdomen can be caused by a number of different things, including heart disease, liver disease, internal bleeding. or an abdominal tumor of some kind. His rear leg issues could be caused by some type of neurologic problem, or could be due to overall weakness due to whatever is causing the abdominal swelling. Lethargy is a very vague symptom that could be caused by almost any kind of illness. I would recommend taking Cotton to the vet for an exam right away, as this may be a life-threatening problem. Your veterinarian can do blood work and x-rays or an abdominal ultrasound if needed to help diagnose the problem and get him started on appropriate treatment.

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.

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.

Without a physical exam, it is difficult to determine exactly what is wrong with him. The red eyes may indicate infection or inflammation, the elbows may be calloused from laying on rough surfaces, the breathing may be a respiratory issue or it could be cardiac in nature. The tumor may be just that, whether it is benign or malignant is unknowable without diagnostics. If you plan on keeping him, consider a visit to the local veterinary clinic or humane society where he could get an exam to diagnose his issues. Any treatment will depend on these diagnoses.

I'm so sorry that Cash is not doing well. His clinical condition is very concerning and makes me worry about a significant chronic disease such as heart failure, protein-losing diseases, or a cancerous process. I highly recommend Cash be evaluated at a veterinary emergency hospital with internal medicine capabilities. He likely needs x-rays and bloodwork alongside a potential abdominal ultrasound or echocardiogram.

I am very sorry to hear that you are having these concerning issues with Mambo. From the clinical signs you are describing; distended abodmen, coughing, changes to breathing patterns and lethargy I would be concerned about a potential heart condition. Heart disease can cause the heart to stop pumping blood around the body effectively. This then causes fluids to accumulate in the tissues such as the lungs and the abdomen. This could explain the bloated abdomen and the coughing. I would advise taking Mambo into the veterinarian as soon as you can. Fluid on the lungs can be a life threatening emergency. A veterinarian would be able to listen to Mambo's heart and lunch sounds during an examination and tell you if there is fluid build-up or a heart problem. I hope that is a helpful answer and that Mambo receives the medical care he needs soon. Sending my absolute best wishes to you both.

I would recommend taking Hustler to the veterinarian right away. If your vet is closed then he needs to go to the emergency vet. In an older dog with a cough and difficulty breathing we are very concerned about possible decompensating heart disease as well as lung disease (pneumonia, cancer). In combination with swelling of the limbs and abdomen we can see this with heart disease as well, or with protein loss due to systemic illness. We can also see difficulty breathing and swelling with anaphylactic reactions. All of these are emergency situations, so he should be seen right away. I wish you the best of luck with him! The vet will examine him and most likely recommend an x-ray of his chest to begin the evaluation.