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Body system: Liver and gallbladder. One of the core guides in our dog health conditions library. If your dog has worrying signs right now, start with our symptom triage guides.
The gallbladder is a small sac tucked against the liver that stores bile, a digestive fluid the liver makes to help break down fats. Between meals it holds and concentrates bile, then releases it through the bile duct into the small intestine after a dog eats. Cholecystitis is inflammation of that sac and its wall. It most often develops when bacteria infect the gallbladder, but it can also follow a blocked bile duct, gallstones, trauma to the liver area, a tumor, or a blood clot that cuts off the gallbladder blood supply. An inflamed wall can swell, weaken, and in the worst cases die back or tear, letting infected bile leak into the abdomen. That leak causes a severe abdominal infection and inflammation that can be fatal without prompt treatment.
What owners see is usually a dog that has gone off food and looks genuinely unwell in the belly. The Merck Veterinary Manual (dog owners) lists loss of appetite, abdominal pain, jaundice, fever, and vomiting as common signs of gallbladder inflammation, and notes that a dog may be in shock from the abdominal inflammation. The yellowing of the gums, skin, and whites of the eyes that vets call jaundice reflects bile not flowing normally. Inflammation can also spread from the gallbladder into nearby bile ducts and the liver itself, making a dog sicker still. Because these signs overlap with pancreatitis, liver disease, and a blocked bile duct, cholecystitis is a condition that needs same day veterinary assessment and imaging, not home monitoring. Early treatment, when it is needed, is strongly linked to a better outcome. The gallbladder is easy to overlook because it is small and because many of its problems build quietly. A dog may have vague digestive upsets or discomfort after fatty meals long before a clear crisis, and blood tests done for another reason sometimes raise the first suspicion through raised liver values. Other dogs show nothing until the gallbladder is badly inflamed or has already leaked. Owners should not feel they missed obvious signs: the early picture is genuinely nonspecific. What matters is the response once a dog is off food, painful in the belly, vomiting, or turning yellow, because those signs together justify urgent imaging.
Bacterial infection is the most common driver, with bacteria reaching the gallbladder up the bile duct from the intestine or through the bloodstream, and then multiplying in bile that is not moving well. Anything that slows or blocks bile flow raises the risk, including gallstones, thickened bile and mucus, and a blocked or narrowed bile duct. Other causes described in the Merck Veterinary Manual (dog owners) include cancer affecting the area, trauma to the liver, and blood clots. In some dogs a gallbladder mucocele, an abnormal buildup of thick mucus and bile, develops alongside inflammation and makes obstruction and rupture more likely. Once the wall is inflamed, pressure and infection can damage it further, which is how a contained infection can turn into a leaking gallbladder.
Breeds and dogs at higher risk: Cholecystitis can affect any dog, and it is seen most often in middle aged to older dogs rather than puppies. No single breed defines the condition, although small and medium sized older dogs are represented often in gallbladder disease generally, and dogs with gallstones, mucoceles, or hormone conditions that affect bile may face higher risk of gallbladder problems.
Your vet will examine your dog for abdominal pain, jaundice, fever, and dehydration, then run blood tests that typically show changes in liver values, bile pigments, and white blood cells when the gallbladder is inflamed or bile flow is blocked. Abdominal ultrasound is the key imaging test: it lets the vet assess the gallbladder wall, look for stones, thickened bile or a mucocele, check whether the bile duct is widened, and look for fluid in the abdomen that would suggest a leak. X-rays can help assess liver size and the wider abdomen. The Merck Veterinary Manual (dog owners) notes that diagnosis rests on blood tests and ultrasound findings, and can be confirmed when tissue and bile are examined and cultured, which often happens if surgery is performed.
Treatment depends on how sick the dog is, whether the bile duct is blocked, and whether the gallbladder wall looks at risk of leaking. A dog that is stable, eating poorly but not in shock, and has no sign of rupture may be started on medical care in hospital, including intravenous fluids, pain relief, anti nausea medicine, and antibiotics chosen to cover the bacteria usually found in bile infections. If a bile sample can be obtained safely, culture results help refine the antibiotic choice. Liver support supplements and a medicine that improves bile flow may be discussed in selected cases, but they are not used when a complete blockage is suspected, because encouraging flow against a blockage can cause harm.
For many dogs, however, surgery is the definitive treatment. The Merck Veterinary Manual (dog owners) states that treatment usually consists of removal of the gallbladder together with appropriate antibiotic medicine, and that the outlook is good when surgery and antibiotics are started early and less favorable when they are delayed. Dogs live well without a gallbladder, because bile then flows steadily from the liver to the intestine instead of being stored. A ruptured gallbladder, bile in the abdomen, or a dog in shock is a surgical emergency. After surgery, antibiotics, pain control, and monitoring of liver values continue while the dog recovers.
Recovery at home after medical treatment or gallbladder removal centers on rest, appetite, and close watching in the first weeks. Feed the diet your vet recommends, often smaller, lower fat meals given more frequently, and give antibiotics and other medicines for the full course even after your dog seems brighter. Keep activity quiet while an incision heals, use a protective collar if your vet advises one, and check the wound daily. Track appetite, vomiting, energy, gum color, and stool and urine color in a simple log, and attend recheck visits for blood work and, in some cases, repeat ultrasound. Once fully recovered, most dogs return to normal meals and normal activity on their vet long term plan.
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Yes. The gallbladder only stores bile, it does not make it. After removal, bile flows directly and steadily from the liver into the intestine, and most dogs digest food well once recovered, sometimes with smaller or lower fat meals at first. Your vet will advise on diet during recovery and whether any long term change is needed for your dog.
Not always at first. The Merck Veterinary Manual (dog owners) describes treatment as usually consisting of gallbladder removal plus antibiotics, but a stable dog with no blockage or rupture may be managed medically in hospital and reassessed closely. Surgery becomes urgent if the wall is damaged, bile is leaking, the duct is blocked, or medical care is not working.
Bile leaking into the abdomen causes a severe, painful abdominal infection and inflammation called bile peritonitis, and it can be fatal without emergency care. A ruptured gallbladder needs emergency surgery to remove it, flush the abdomen, and start intensive support and antibiotics. This risk is the main reason a painful, jaundiced dog should be seen the same day rather than watched at home.
Cholecystitis is inflammation and usually infection of the gallbladder wall. A mucocele is an abnormal buildup of thick mucus and bile inside the gallbladder that stretches it and can block bile flow. The two can occur together, and a mucocele can lead to inflammation, wall damage, or rupture. Ultrasound helps your vet tell which problems are present and how urgent surgery is.
Do not wait if your dog has severe belly pain, repeated vomiting, yellow gums or eyes with fever, a swollen or tense abdomen, collapse, or extreme weakness. The Merck Veterinary Manual (dog owners) notes that a dog with gallbladder inflammation may be in shock from abdominal inflammation. Those signs fit a leaking or blocked gallbladder, which is a true emergency.
This page is general information drawn from the published guidance of the organizations listed under Sources below. It is not veterinary advice, and it does not replace your own veterinarian, who knows your dog. If your dog may have eaten something toxic, contact your veterinarian, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661 straight away. A consultation fee may apply on the helplines. If your dog is struggling to breathe, has collapsed, is having a seizure that will not stop, or has a swollen belly with retching that brings nothing up, go to an emergency veterinarian now and do not wait to finish reading.
Last updated: November 2026. Facts on this page were checked against the sources listed above. How we work: our methodology.