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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.
Gallstones, known medically as choleliths, are solid stones that form inside the gallbladder, the small sac under the liver that stores bile between meals. The condition is called cholelithiasis. In dogs, most gallstones are pigment stones built mainly from calcium carbonate and calcium bilirubinate, substances that precipitate out of bile when its balance changes, bile sits too long in the gallbladder, or infection and inflammation alter the local environment. For many owners, the most surprising fact is also the most reassuring starting point: the Merck Veterinary Manual states that most gallstones in dogs and cats cause no illness at all. They are increasingly found by chance when an abdominal ultrasound is performed for another reason, because that imaging has become a routine part of veterinary workups.
Stones deserve respect, however, because a minority cause real trouble. A stone that lodges in the cystic duct or the common bile duct can block the flow of bile from the liver and gallbladder into the intestine. Stones can also irritate and inflame the gallbladder wall, a condition called cholecystitis, and biliary infection can travel upward into the liver. When obstruction or infection develops, a previously silent finding becomes a painful, potentially life threatening problem marked by vomiting, jaundice, fever, and abdominal pain. The practical task for you and your vet is therefore not to panic over an incidental stone, but to judge carefully whether the stones are quiet bystanders that need only monitoring, or active troublemakers that need medical treatment or surgery. That judgment rests on signs, blood work, and imaging together, not on the mere presence of a stone. It also rests on time: a stone that has sat quietly for years in a dog with normal liver values is a different clinical problem from a newly found stone in a dog who has just developed jaundice and pain. Serial blood work and repeat imaging let your vet see which story your dog is telling, and they turn an anxious guessing game into a monitored plan with clear triggers for stepping treatment up or safely leaving well alone.
Stones form when bile components fall out of solution and clump together faster than the gallbladder can clear them. In dogs, prolonged elevation of bilirubin favors black pigment stones built from bilirubin polymers, while bacterial infection and stagnant bile favor brown pigment stones built mainly from calcium bilirubinate. Inflammation increases mucus production in the gallbladder, and that mucus traps pigment particles and helps them aggregate into stones. Poor gallbladder emptying and bile stasis add to the process, which is why stones are linked with gallbladder motility problems, biliary infection, and some liver and bile duct disorders. Stones can also work in the opposite direction: once present, they can injure the duct lining and invite infection, so cause and effect often run both ways in an individual dog.
Breeds and dogs at higher risk: Gallstones are seen most often in middle aged to older dogs, and the Merck Veterinary Manual notes that incidence may be higher in small breed dogs. No single breed defines the condition, so age, gallbladder health, and underlying liver or biliary disease matter more than breed alone.
Ultrasound is the key test. The Merck Veterinary Manual reports that ultrasonography can detect stones larger than 2 mm in the gallbladder, although stones lodged in the bile ducts are harder to spot and can be missed. Many stones do not contain enough mineral to show on plain X-rays, so normal radiographs do not rule them out. Your vet will pair imaging with a full exam and blood work: liver and cholestatic enzyme levels, bilirubin, and blood cell counts help show whether there is obstruction, infection, or liver involvement, and results may be entirely normal in a dog with silent stones. When surgery is performed, samples of liver, bile, and gallbladder tissue are typically sent for culture to uncover the underlying disease.
Treatment is matched to whether the stones are causing disease. A dog with silent, incidental stones and normal blood work may need no immediate treatment beyond monitoring, repeat imaging as your vet advises, and attention to any underlying liver or gallbladder condition. When stones are linked to infection or inflammation, medical treatment centers on broad spectrum antimicrobial medicines chosen by your vet, often refined once culture results are available, together with a bile acid medicine from the choleretic class that improves bile flow and is used to help protect the liver. A liver support supplement with antioxidant action may be added. Dogs who are vomiting, dehydrated, or in pain also need supportive hospital care, including fluids and pain relief, while the biliary system settles.
Surgery becomes necessary when stones obstruct the cystic duct or the common bile duct, or when they are associated with gallbladder inflammation that is not settling. The usual operation removes the gallbladder, called cholecystectomy, often with flushing of the bile duct to clear stones and debris, and dogs generally live normally afterward because bile then flows directly from the liver to the intestine. When a duct obstruction cannot be cleared, a bypass procedure that reroutes bile into the intestine may be discussed by a specialist surgeon. Medical dissolution therapy that works for some human stones is not a reliable substitute in dogs. Your vet will be direct about urgency: an obstructed, infected biliary system is an emergency, not a watch and wait problem.
If your dog is being monitored for quiet stones, keep the follow up ultrasounds and blood tests your vet schedules, even when your dog seems entirely well, because change can be silent at first. Feed the diet your vet recommends, keep meals regular, and report appetite, vomiting, stool changes, energy, and any yellowing of the gums or eyes between visits. After gallbladder removal, expect a recovery period with rest, incision care, and any prescribed medicines given in full, followed by periodic liver value checks. Seek advice promptly rather than waiting for the next routine visit if pain, fever, jaundice, or repeated vomiting appears, since those are the signs that a quiet biliary problem has become an active one that needs same day assessment.
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No. Most gallstones cause no signs and are found incidentally, and those dogs may be managed with monitoring and treatment of any underlying gallbladder or liver condition. Surgery is needed when stones block a bile duct, obstruct the cystic duct, or are linked to gallbladder inflammation. Your vet weighs signs, blood work, and ultrasound findings together.
Yes. When the gallbladder is removed, bile flows directly from the liver into the intestine instead of being stored and released in pulses. Most dogs live comfortably on that arrangement after recovery. Your vet may recommend dietary adjustments and follow up blood tests while your dog adapts and to keep watch on liver health.
Many canine gallstones are pigment stones that do not contain enough mineral to stand out on plain radiographs, so an X-ray can look normal even when stones are present. Ultrasound is much more reliable for this condition and is the test vets use to confirm stones, assess the gallbladder wall, and look for bile duct dilation suggesting obstruction.
Dissolution is unreliable in dogs, because most canine stones are pigment stones, not the cholesterol type that responds best in people. A bile acid medicine may be prescribed to improve bile flow and support the liver, but it should not be counted on to remove an obstructing stone. Obstruction or significant inflammation is a surgical problem.
Stones form when bile pigments and calcium salts precipitate and aggregate in the gallbladder, a process encouraged by bile stasis, poor gallbladder emptying, inflammation, excess mucus production, and bacterial infection of the biliary system. Underlying liver or bile duct disease can contribute, so vets treat the background condition too.
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.