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Ask the Veterinarian/Labrador Puppy with swollen belly

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Expert: - 5/10/2011


Question
Yesterday our 15 week old chocolate lab developed a swollen hard belly.

The vet stuck a tube down her throat and pumped her stomach, nothing to exciting.

Overnight she didnt improve and the vet felt she may have a twisted stomach that needed to be turned back. So he operated. Her stomach wasnt twisted (but the spleen had moved) but her stomach and bowel were both "not working"

He is suggesting Botulism (we live on a farm) or Ileus

My ignorant research suggests this is unlikely (she had no other symptoms that we observed)

What do you think?

Answer
Pretty hard for me to have any kind of opinion on this James. I sure hope that she survived. In any case, I think your vet did the right thing, however, it's a tough call when you get a case in like this and nothing seems to work right.

Botulism is a concern, as is clostridium bacteria which can make them bloat up like that really fast and is very common on farms. Botulism is a form of clostridium.

Here is an article on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clostridium

There are not always a lot of symptoms with this type of bacteria until the dog reaches the critical state your dog is in.

I hope she is okay- you didn't say whether or not she made it. Please let me know and have some faith in your vet- he sounds like he is on the right track here.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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