my dog sick

Question
Hello...my dog is a 10 year old Rottweiler/Shephard mix.  For the last few weeks she has had diarea and her stomach is bloated.  I tried giving her Pepto Bismol.  and for the last 3 days i fed her boiled rice & chicken.  I can't afford to take her to the vet since i have lost my job.  Can u give me any suggestions and whats wrong with her?

Answer
Hi Dee,
There are many reasons why her stomach could be bloated. Most common one that comes to mind is liver failure. If she isn't on heartworm prevention then she could have end-stage heartworm disease and liver failure is a sign of that. Diarrhea often goes hand in hand with this because the liver is unable to digest fats anymore and it just flows out with the stool making diarrhea.
Feeding her chicken and rice would help if it was a digestive issue but since you have not seen any resolution in three days I am afraid this might be more serious.

Check the color of the whites of her eyes. If they are yellow tinged or her tongue is looking yellowish then you will know if she is having a liver issue. The reason the belly bloats is because when the liver is the central filtering spot for the blood and if the liver isn't working properly the fluids that the liver normally filters out collect in the abdomen and cause what is known as acites, or the bloating that you see.

I am sorry but the only way you are going to find out what is going on with her is by taking her in to the vets. Only the vet can do the blood work that will tell you what condition her liver is in. Of course there are other conditions that can cause bloating but as I said, liver failure is one of the most common.

I hope you find a resolution to her problem soon and that it is not bad news. Please let me know what you find out.