So it's been about 1 month since we found Jack's liver tumor.  He is doing fine except for the tons of fluid that has been building up in his abdomen as a result of his liver failure.  My vet wanted to do x-rays, bloodwork, ultrasounds, etc before she would go in and drain the fluid, and I didn't want to do all those nor could I afford it.  So I asked one of the vets at the clinic where I had my externship, and she had no problem doing a "therapeutic abdominocentesis" where she would tap off liquid just to give him a little bit of relief.  We went in last night and had the procedure done, and after 2 exams, an ultrasound (included in the centesis cost of $92), and the actual abdominocentesis, Jack hopped out of there 900mL lighter...that's almost an entire IV bag of extra fluid!!!  He still has fluid in his tummy and it will build up again, but for now he has a couple more days of relief 🙂  When we got back home last night, he hopped all the way from the elevator to our front door without stopping which he hasn't done in about a week!  Has anybody else had this procedure done?  How did your dog respond?  So far, I would say it's been a positive thing to have done as Jack seems to be getting up and moving around more today than he had been previously. 

Here is a picture of Jack's swollen belly.  Also, you can see how skinny he's getting because his tumor is eating all his nutrients.  After all the fluid was gone last night, he actually looked less emaciated because his bones didn't stick out as much due to being pushed around by the weight and mass of his abdomen:

I'd be curious to know of others experiences both with ascites or abdominocentesis.  Thanks!

<3 Laura and her Geriatric 6 Year Old