Swollen stomach for the past month

Hi there. I would really appreciate if anyone has some advice regarding my yorkshire terrier. He is just under 9 years old and has never had any previous medical conditions. At the end of August he went through a few days of vomiting & diarrhoea. His stomach became bloated and inflated. We left it for a few weeks as we thought it may pass. It continued getting worse and larger. He wasn’t able to jump up on the bed like he could before and walk/run long distances. His energy levels and mood are low. We took him to the vet - they did an ultrasound scan and found nothing wrong. We are waiting for blood test results and fluid sample report. The vet couldn’t give us a diagnosis but told us it could be cancer. She told us he has 3 months left to live. We are very upset but also confused. If anybody has gone through a similar experience, I would appreciate some advice. Many thanks!

Hello!  I'm sorry; it sounds like shocking news.  You also sound to be in an unpleasant limbo, not having a definite diagnosis but having been given an idea that cancer is a strong differential (possibility).  Where did this come from?  You say that the vet found nothing wrong on the scan, but then that they took a fluid sample (where from?  The abdomen?) and then that they predicted a three month lifespan.  Certainly they must have some basis for telling you this, even if they don't have a firm diagnosis? At times like this, it's okay to go home and cry a little, and perhaps to have lots of loving time with your dog (assuming that he is at home, not in hospital?) and to recover a little from the impact of the news. After the same time, I would advise making a list of things that you don't understand. Perhaps, for example, you need to know what could it still be at the moment?  What abnormalities have they found so far (fluid on the abdomen, perhaps?) and what do they still need to find out?  What steps are being taken to find this out and when can you expect to have more information?  Knowing this may not change things for your boy, but may help you to feel more in control of the situation.  It could even be that your vet has told you all this once;  even if so, that's okay.  Vets appreciate that it can be hard to digest everything the first time. Have you any instructions for the meantime, on how to best make life as nice as possible for your dog? Thinking of you at this hard and stressful time.