What could this be (bloated belly)

[sindorei]

There is a dog I groom every 5 weeks, a miniature Schnauzer, probably middle aged. He is more than a little neurotic, has balance issues (if you pick one leg up, he bounces on the other leg or flat out falls over), poops for the bathing and drying (but doesnt express glands, just constant solid poop after another), and his eyes are sort of... buggy and fixed? his body feels very stiff, his muscles are definitely very stiff the entire time, lets straight out, never relaxes, and his belly is literally bigger than his entire body. Just a big round basketball with little muscular stick legs coming out the sides. He is not fat as far as I can tell, just has a huge round bloated abdomen. Its been getting slowly and steadily worse, and the owner claims shes taken him to the vet and the vet just said hes "bloated" (not bloat, but bloatED?, i guess?)

What could this be? its really bizarre and iv never in all my years seen anything like it

[Nichole]

My first thought is worms, my 2nd being abdominal ascites which is typically associated with cancer, but both of those can be ruled in/out by a vet. I'd be getting a 2nd opinion if it were mine.

[AllisonPibbleLvr]

Cushings? Diabetes? Henangiosarcoma? Addisons?

[nic]

I groomed a dog with a huge abdomen and mentioned it to the owners who then took him to the vets,it was a tumor and when they opened him up it had engolfed and was attached to several very neccesary organs.
They had to let him go under anaestetic and his owner was heart broken,she had no idea he was unwell,he was acting normally,it was really sad.

[Misskiwi67]

Cushings will cause enlarged liver and changes how the body carries fat resulting in a pendulous abdomen. Tumors, fluid, and other organ enlargements are also possible.

[jamielvsaustin]

I don't have any clue what it could be, but maybe given these suggestions you could print out some material to give her next time you see her. Who really knows if she's taken the dog to the vet (for this at least, they have to have certain vaccines before being groomed-correct)...and then this way she can read the material on her own time. Maybe she knows the dog is unwell but refuses to acknowledge it....people can be selfish like that sometimes.

[Misskiwi67]

I don't have any clue what it could be, but maybe given these suggestions you could print out some material to give her next time you see her. Who really knows if she's taken the dog to the vet (for this at least, they have to have certain vaccines before being groomed-correct)...and then this way she can read the material on her own time. Maybe she knows the dog is unwell but refuses to acknowledge it....people can be selfish like that sometimes.

Or maybe the dog has an inoperable tumor and feels just fine, or maybe he has cushings an they can't afford to treat it (it can cost a couple hundred dollars a month to treat).

I would just ask, the owner could be completely oblivious or may have made medical decisions you have no say in. At least the dog is getting the grooming care he needs, thats better than many!