What this means
Dogs hide pain, so belly pain does not always look like obvious crying out. More typical signs are that your dog flinches or looks surprised when you touch its belly, tenses the belly muscles, stands in a "praying" position with the front of the body lowered and the rear raised, will not settle to lie down, is restless, pants, does not want to move, or stops eating.
Belly pain can start in the stomach, bowel, pancreas, bladder or other organs, and sometimes the pain is not from digestion at all but from the back, for example. So how the belly feels when touched cannot tell you what is wrong. Do not press hard or try to find the sore spot yourself, which could do harm.
Make a note of when the pain began, whether your dog is vomiting, whether the stools have changed, whether it urinates normally and whether the belly looks swollen. These small details help the vet a great deal.
Possible causes
These are things that can cause this sign. It is not a diagnosis, and they are not equally likely for your dog.
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Pancreatitis
A dog may adopt the praying position, vomit, refuse food and be dull. The pain is often felt in the upper belly.
About the condition: Pancreatitis -
Stomach bloat and twist
An emergency: the belly swells quickly, the dog is restless, pants and retches with nothing coming up.
About the condition: Bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus) -
Bladder stones
Stones irritate the bladder. A dog may urinate often or strain to do so, there may be blood in the urine and the lower belly can be sore.
About the condition: Bladder stones -
Long-standing bowel inflammation
Inflamed bowel can make the belly hurt along with diarrhoea, vomiting and weight loss. The signs often come and go or change.
About the condition: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) -
Swallowed objects
Swallowed items can block or irritate the digestive tract. The dog vomits, refuses food and starts guarding its belly.
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Pain from other organs or the back
Pain felt in the belly area can come from other organs or from the back. Only a vet can work this out by examining the dog.
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- Whether your dog flinches, growls or tenses the belly when touched
- Whether it stands in a praying position or cannot get comfortable
- Whether the belly looks swollen or hard
- Whether it vomits and how many times
- Whether the stools have changed or contain blood
- Whether it urinates normally or strains with nothing coming out
- Whether it eats and drinks, or seems dull
When to book a routine visit
If your dog guards its belly, flinches when touched, vomits or refuses food for more than a day or so, book a vet visit. Do not press hard on the belly or try to locate the pain yourself.
Related conditions
Conditions whose entries mention this sign. The list is somewhere to read on, not a way to reach a diagnosis.
- Pancreatitis Digestion and liver Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, in which digestive enzymes become active too early and start to irritate the pancreas itself and the tissue around it. It can come on suddenly or smoulder for a long time with repeated flare-ups, and in more severe cases it affects other organs too. The causes vary, so working out what is going on with a particular dog is a job for the vet.
- Bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus) Digestion and liver This is a condition in which the stomach fills with gas and can twist around on itself, pinching off its blood vessels and cutting off circulation. It develops very quickly and is life-threatening, so the dog needs a vet immediately. Large, deep-chested dogs are known to be at risk, so it is worth noting the number of the nearest emergency clinic in advance.
- Bladder stones Kidneys and bladder Bladder stones are hard clumps of minerals that form in the urine and slowly grow inside the bladder. They irritate the bladder wall, causing inflammation and pain, and if one gets stuck in the urethra it can block the urinary tract. A dog that cannot pass urine is in a life-threatening situation and needs a vet immediately.
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) Digestion and liver This is a long-term disorder of the digestive tract in which inflammatory cells build up in the wall of the stomach or intestine, so it becomes less able to digest food and absorb nutrients. The exact cause is not fully understood; an interplay between the immune system, gut bacteria and food is thought to play a part. Because many other digestive problems look much the same, a vet works out what is really going on with tests.
- Parvovirus Infections Parvovirus is a highly contagious viral disease of dogs that damages the lining of the gut and the blood cells that defend the body against infection. Puppies and unvaccinated dogs are at greatest risk. The illness moves fast and the dog loses a great deal of fluid, so it needs a vet immediately.
- Gastroenteritis Digestion and liver Gastroenteritis is a sudden inflammation of the lining of the stomach and intestines, showing as vomiting and diarrhoea. It can be caused by food picked up or gone off, a sudden change of food, viruses, bacteria, parasites or toxic substances. A mild bout can pass in a day or two, while what caused it, and whether it is a more serious illness, is for a vet to work out.
Body systems: Digestion and liver Kidneys and bladder Infections