Abdominal Fluid Collection and Analysis Made Easy

Introduction Dogs and cats often present to veterinary clinics because of the appearance of a pendulous or enlarged abdomen or for clinical signs secondary to abdominal fluid accumulation. Abdominal fluid can accumulate from a variety of disease processes including many serious conditions that require immediate intervention. Sometimes the condition that led to the accumulation of abdominal fluid is obvious, such as the collapsed elderly dog with the history of a large splenic mass, presumably ruptured and causing hemorrhage. Conversely, the underlying condition or cause of fluid accumulation is not always apparent. For example, a dog that was hit by a car could develop abdominal fluid because of a splenic or liver tear (hemoabdomen) or a bladder rupture (uroabdomen). In that situation, the treatment required differs depending on the underlying cause. In order to accurately determine the etiology of the effusion and advise the owner about the treatment options and prognosis for their pet, a sample of the fluid should be obtained by abdominocentesis and analysis of the fluid performed. Sometimes the analyses are easy and can be performed inhospital, while other times cytologic assessment by a clinical pathologist is warranted. In any scenario, the collection and analysis of abdominal fluid will give a significant amount of information to help guide the management of these patients.