5. Gastrointestinal infections
Also Gastrointestinal infections can cause the dog's stomach to harden. This is often the case viral infections, e.g. the Noro virus. While the body is busy keeping pathogens under control, digestion is often neglected.
This can lead to cramps in the abdomen and upset stomachs are also common. The dog has less appetite and needs to recover from his illness well. Nausea and diarrhea often occur, especially in the first few hours to days.
6. gastritis
One gastritis is a painful one inflammation of the gastric mucosa, which can also affect digestion. Accordingly, it is occasionally responsible for a hard stomach.
It can be promoted by various factors, such as infections, stress, stomach hyperacidity, allergic reactions, foreign bodies or parasites. If left untreated or with no chance of curing it, it can chronic and have serious consequences, such as stomach ulcers or even a perforated stomach.
Other symptoms of gastritis include loss of appetite, lethargy, pale mucous membranes, dehydration and fever. Diarrhea rarely occurs; instead, affected four-legged friends often suffer from constipation and have hard, very dark feces.
7. Intestinal obstruction
A very dangerous cause of a hard stomach in dogs is a Intestinal obstruction. Here the path between the stomach and rectum is blocked at one point, the food cannot be further digested and builds up.
are the culprits mostly foreign bodies, But parasites, constipation or organic diseases can also block the digestive tract. Affected dogs can no longer defecate, sometimes even vomit fecal or bloody sputum, refuse to eat and have abdominal pain.
An intestinal obstruction usually does not go away on its own. The dog is then in mortal danger: If left untreated, it often ends with peritonitis and fatal sepsis.
8. Gastric torsion
One is also a fire hazard Gastric torsion. The dog's stomach rotates on its own axis and constricts. Tissue dies and gases can no longer escape – which is why the stomachs of affected animals bloat.
Mostly are larger breeds with a low-lying chest affected. Without quick medical help, gastric torsion is always fatal and the animals usually die in very painful conditions.
Affected dogs initially react with great restlessness, which soon gives way to lethargy. New food can no longer be absorbed and is then thrown back up undigested. The animals are in great pain, only walk hunched over, choke and have pale mucous membranes.
9. fluid in the abdomen
Some dogs also suffer from a so-called Ascites or Ascites. Then fluid gets into the abdominal cavity and stays there. This clinical picture is characterized by a hard stomach that does not become softer over a long period of time.
Ascites is not an independent disease, but actually always associated with an underlying disease. Very often this is the case tangible organic suffering such as advanced heart failure, liver, kidney or lung insufficiency, inflammation, tumors or peritonitis. In rare cases, long-term, systematic malnutrition is also behind it.
In addition to a swollen stomach, many affected animals also show symptoms such as severe thirst, lethargy, protective postures, vomiting, diarrhea and breathing problems.
10. Peritonitis
The peritoneum is a protective layer that, in mammals such as dogs, covers the spleen, liver, stomach and diaphragm in an airtight manner. An inflammation of this peritoneum (in technical language Peritonitis) initially causes the stomach to appear very hard and cause pain to the dog.
Other typical symptoms include, among other things, a long-term protective posture (for example, the dog no longer wants to lie down), fever, listlessness, digestive problems, weight loss and pale or yellowish mucous membranes. The possible causes are very diverse, including bacterial infections, perforations caused by bone splinters or foreign bodies, inflammation of the pancreas, stomach ulcers and physical trauma.
This is a medical emergency that can be life-threatening without treatment.
11. stress
Also applies to dogs: Stress is bad for your stomach. If the dog cannot relax, the digestion reacts sensitively.
This is mainly because it increases Stress hormones are released, which in turn cause the body, among other things, to produce more stomach acid. This often results in symptoms such as gastritis, upset stomach or heartburn.
Many of these conditions also result in a hard stomach. Other symptoms that indicate stress include, for example, very calm or hyperactive behavior, jumpiness, restlessness and sleepless nights or tremors.
12. Hormonal diseases
The hormone secretion can also be caused by endocrine diseases, i.e hormonal disorders, be negatively influenced. Even then, bloating or hardening of the abdominal area is possible.
Dogs often suffer from this Cushing's syndrome, in which the stress hormone cortisol is released almost uncontrollably. Also diseases like Addison's disease or Under- or over-function of the thyroid gland can (in-)directly disrupt the gastrointestinal tract.
13. Internal bleeding
Especially after accidents It may still be the case that the dog is externally intact but still suffers from life-threatening injuries. Then it is often the case unnoticed internal bleeding.
If violence has been applied to your four-legged friend and he then has a hard abdomen, you should go to the vet immediately: It is then possible that blood has penetrated into the abdominal cavity – it may even have crusted over.
Unfortunately, another common cause of internal bleeding in the abdomen is Splenic tumors. Other reasons are also dangerous and painful, but usually do not cause a hard stomach.
14. Parasitic infestation
Almost every four-legged friend suffers from this at some point in their life worms or other parasites: They are often passed on to them as puppies from their mother and are thus, so to speak, placed in the cradle.
Many of these microorganisms are… endoparasites, which live primarily in the intestines of animals. Particularly Roundworms – these include, for example, roundworms, hookworms and whipworms – feed in the small intestine on the food that has just passed through the dog's stomach.
That has, among other things Flatulence as a result, which makes the stomach harden at least temporarily. Without targeted treatment, worm populations multiply uncontrollably, so that they soon cause even more visible and possibly dangerous symptoms.
Extreme caution is required, especially with puppies, very old dogs and four-legged friends with immune deficiencies!
15. Tumors in the abdomen
And finally can too Tumors cause the stomach to harden: either they damage the digestive tract so that food is no longer processed properly. On the other hand, they can also cause secondary diseases such as peritonitis, gastritis, ascites or internal bleeding.
These are often ulcers of organs located directly in the abdomen, for example Liver, stomach or spleen. Unfortunately, most such tumors are quite malicious, Even if detected early, the prognosis is therefore not particularly good.