Acute Painful Abdomen In Dogs

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Acute Painful Abdomen In Dogs
An acute painful abdomen is an emergency that may well lead to death of the dog unless treatment is started at once. The signs of an acute abdomen are the sudden onset of pain, together with whining and crying, retching and vomiting, extreme restlessness and inability to come across a comfortable position, grunting, and labored breathing. The abdomen is highly painful when pressed.

Peritonitis in Dogs

Painful Abdomen in Dogs

Peritonitis is usually associated with acute abdominal discomfort because of the sudden inflammation of the abdominal tissues, or peritoneum, hence the name for the condition. This causes fluid to shift into the peritoneal cavity, leading to severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Peritonitis could be because of infectious causes which include the stomach flu or non-infectious causes such as a hernia.

Even though younger dogs tend to have acute abdomen on account of infectious and traumatic causes, malignant cancers are extra generally the cause of acute abdomen in older dogs. It's critical to decide the underlying trigger of the acute abdomen as your veterinarian may perhaps have to perform emergency surgery to resolve it.


Symptoms and Types

• Lethargy
• Trembling
• Crying, Whimpering
• Abnormal posture (i.e., may well be "guarding" the stomach by curling up, or leaning forward with back end higher in attempt to relieve discomfort)
• Heavy breathing
• Swollen abdomen (may perhaps be rigid to the touch
• Diarrhea, which might be black (also referred to as melena)
• May possibly have vomiting if the stomach or intestines are involved

Causes
Infectious Causes

• Holes inside the dog's stomach lining
• Viruses of the stomach or intestinal tract
• Feline infectious peritonitis virus
• Viral enteritis (stomach flu)
• Parasites of the stomach or intestines
• Bacterial infection of the uterus
• Abscesses of the liver, spleen, and/or pancreas

Non-infectious Causes

• Tumors
• Cancers
• Poisoning
• Congenital Defects
• Trauma to the abdomen, possibly involving rupture of organs (hernia)
• Rupturing of the ureters (tubes which carry urine), bladder or of a pregnant uterus
• Congenital hernia causing entrapment of organs
• Obstruction of the urethra or ureters
• Kidney or gallbladder obstruction (e.g., calculi deposits)
• Gastric dilation and volvulus

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will want a complete medical history to begin to identify what exactly is causing the acute abdomen. The history you give could give your veterinarian clues as to which organs are causing the sudden abdominal pain. He or she will also perform a complete physical examination to see if the pain is truly inside the abdomen and not the kidneys or back. If your dog has a swollen abdomen, your veterinarian will use a fine needle to withdraw a few of the fluid from the abdomen to send to the laboratory for analysis.

A complete blood profile will be conducted, which includes a chemical blood profile, a complete blood count, an electrolyte panel along with a urinalysis. Your veterinarian may also use a syringe to take urine from your dog to be sent to a lab for examination.

Your veterinarian will have to use visual diagnostics to examine the abdomen internally. X-rays and ultrasound are going to be utilized to locate the source of the disturbance inside the abdomen. If your dog is young (still a puppy) a parvovirus blood test may possibly also be given.

Characteristically, the dog may possibly assume a prayer position with his chest to the floor and his rump inside the air. As the condition worsens, the dog's pulse becomes weak and thready, the mucous membranes turn out to be pale, and the dog goes into shock.

For those who see any of these signs, call your veterinarian at once! Early surgical intervention is life-saving.

One of the following conditions might be the trigger of acute abdomen:

• Bloat
• Urinary stones obstructing the bladder
• Trauma to the abdomen with internal injury
• Rupture of the bladder
• Poisoning
• Rupture of the pregnant uterus
• Peritonitis
• Acute pancreatitis
• Intestinal obstruction
• Twisting of the intestines
• Veterinarians will tell you that a dog with Bloat or any other type of acute abdomen is critically ill and ought to have immediate veterinary attention.