Dog with a big belly ADVICE PLEASE

[u04elw2]

My 4 year old Lhasa Apso has always had a bit of a weight problem, especially since she was speyed when she was little. She lives at home with my parents and so I'm not sure exactly how much she gets fed but from what I see when I'm home it's the correct amount - a small square tin of dog food a day (half in the morning, half at night) and some small bite mixer in with that.

I'm a dog walker and take her with me all day so she gets about 2 hours of walks a day and a short one in the morning - and she runs about like a nutter at home, so exercise isn't her problem.

However her stomach isn't getting any smaller. Her body weight (as in fat covering) doesn't seem terrible, in fact I think she's lost weight since I started the dog walking, but her tummy is still big. She's had a small hernia since she was a puppy but the vet says he's not touching it because it's not causing her any problems.

She gets wormed regularly too.

But can anyone suggest why her tummy is so bloated? It feels fluidy when you touch it and I'm a worrier since our last 2 lhasas have died from cancer - one had a huge tumour in her stomach - and so I'm a bit paranoid.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[SunshineTallulah]

If you have lots of concerns, go back to the vets and if need be get a second opinion.

 

[CAYLA]

Is she drinking more than usual?, has she suffered this for a while or has it appeared this way over a short period of time?

If you are worried or she has other symptoms it may be worth a vet check/blood tests for thing s like cushing's/thyroid problems.

 

[fruity]

I would def go back to your vets and explain the weight staying even after all the exercise she gets and right amount of feeding,does sound like it could be a thyroid problem but then again it could be anything.

 

[u04elw2]

Thanksfor the replies. It's not a recent problem, she's had it for years and she doesn't drink more than usual.

In terms of thyroid I would have thought that would make her whole body fatter, not just give her a big belly, but I'm not a vet!

Reckon I'll try and take her along this week and see what the vet says. No doubt he'll just recommend putting her on a diet which we tried before and she sat and cried all night and kept everyone up because she was hungry and she was scared of the noise of her stomach rumbling!