Dogs
Gastritis in dogs is a condition that results in the inflammation of your pet dog's stomach along with an inability to digest food properly. It can occur in dogs in an acute or chronic form. This can be caused due to any of the multiple dog health problems including food allergies, sudden diet changes, foreign bodies, parasites or other health issues.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of your dog being affected by gastritis include vomiting, pain in the abdominal area, lethargy and loss of appetite. The frothy bile in the vomit may also contain flecks of blood caused by bleeding in the stomach. Upon display of these symptoms, steps need to be taken to identify whether it is just a simple case of an upset stomach in dogs, or if it is indeed gastritis.
While acute gastritis may result in the sudden onset of severe gastritis symptoms, which may increase drastically in a matter of hours, chronic gastritis is generally associated with milder symptoms. However, this chronic condition can affect the dog for a long period of time usually causing damage to the inner lining of the stomach.
Causes
Gastritis can occur from a variety of causes, including exposure to certain types of viruses and bacteria or a reaction to certain types of foods. The other causes of include:
Treatment and Diagnosis
Since most of the cases of gastritis in dogs occur when a dog ingests the wrong type of food, the veterinarian will ask if the dog has possibly eaten anything, perhaps from a recent trip to the garbage can, which could be causing the symptoms. For the severe or chronic gastritis further diagnostic tests in the form of blood tests are needed to rule out any disease such as parvo or conditions like kidney disease. If an undigested material is stuck in the dog's stomach then x-rays may be used to identify it, or an endoscopic examination of the dog's stomach may be done for further tests and cultures.
Treatment options include food restrictions, and in some cases prescription medication or supportive therapies. For treatment of acute gastritis, you may need to withhold food for at least 24 hours to allow the stomach time to recover and heal from the irritant. Also, though water is not restricted, it should be offered multiple times in smaller quantities. This is because of the tendency in dogs affected by gastritis to drink large amounts of water at one time, thus causing further vomiting and irritation to the stomach.
In severe or chronic gastritis, if the condition is being caused by bacteria, antibiotics will help to treat the condition. However, if the cause is a certain medical condition, then addressing it can help resolve the gastritis symptoms. In a case where gastritis is caused by an undigested object in the dog's stomach, surgery is the only treatment option.
Although gastritis in its mild form, is relatively easy to remedy, the chronic form can quickly become life-threatening because of the dehydration and electrolyte imbalance caused by the vomiting. The best course of action is thus to act quickly and treat your dog's symptoms, so that it can return to its healthy, happy self in a short period of time.
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Dogs
Gastritis in Dogs
Gastritis in dogs is a condition that results in the inflammation of your pet dog's stomach along with an inability to digest food properly. It can occur in dogs in an acute or chronic form. This can be caused due to any of the multiple dog health problems including food allergies, sudden diet changes, foreign bodies, parasites or other health issues.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of your dog being affected by gastritis include vomiting, pain in the abdominal area, lethargy and loss of appetite. The frothy bile in the vomit may also contain flecks of blood caused by bleeding in the stomach. Upon display of these symptoms, steps need to be taken to identify whether it is just a simple case of an upset stomach in dogs, or if it is indeed gastritis.
While acute gastritis may result in the sudden onset of severe gastritis symptoms, which may increase drastically in a matter of hours, chronic gastritis is generally associated with milder symptoms. However, this chronic condition can affect the dog for a long period of time usually causing damage to the inner lining of the stomach.
Causes
Gastritis can occur from a variety of causes, including exposure to certain types of viruses and bacteria or a reaction to certain types of foods. The other causes of include:
- Immune-mediated
- Dietary allergy or intolerance
- Toxins present in fertilizers, herbicides and cleaning agents
- Dietary indiscretion; This can be caused by consuming plant material, foreign objects or chemical irritants
- Metabolic/endocrine disease such as chronic liver disease, Addison's disease, pancreatitis
- Dog cancer
- Parasitism
- Certain drugs such as NSAIDs and glucocorticoids
- Viral infections
- Mast cell tumor
- Kidney diseases in dogs
Treatment and Diagnosis
Since most of the cases of gastritis in dogs occur when a dog ingests the wrong type of food, the veterinarian will ask if the dog has possibly eaten anything, perhaps from a recent trip to the garbage can, which could be causing the symptoms. For the severe or chronic gastritis further diagnostic tests in the form of blood tests are needed to rule out any disease such as parvo or conditions like kidney disease. If an undigested material is stuck in the dog's stomach then x-rays may be used to identify it, or an endoscopic examination of the dog's stomach may be done for further tests and cultures.
Treatment options include food restrictions, and in some cases prescription medication or supportive therapies. For treatment of acute gastritis, you may need to withhold food for at least 24 hours to allow the stomach time to recover and heal from the irritant. Also, though water is not restricted, it should be offered multiple times in smaller quantities. This is because of the tendency in dogs affected by gastritis to drink large amounts of water at one time, thus causing further vomiting and irritation to the stomach.
In severe or chronic gastritis, if the condition is being caused by bacteria, antibiotics will help to treat the condition. However, if the cause is a certain medical condition, then addressing it can help resolve the gastritis symptoms. In a case where gastritis is caused by an undigested object in the dog's stomach, surgery is the only treatment option.
Although gastritis in its mild form, is relatively easy to remedy, the chronic form can quickly become life-threatening because of the dehydration and electrolyte imbalance caused by the vomiting. The best course of action is thus to act quickly and treat your dog's symptoms, so that it can return to its healthy, happy self in a short period of time.
- Gastroenteritis In Dogs
Gastroenteritis is a disease in which the dog's intestinal lining and the stomach are inflamed. This is a digestive disorder in which the intestines do not work correctly. This condition is observed in dogs of all age groups. Every dog breed...
- Canine Diarrhea
Canine diarrhea is one of the most common dog health problems. There are numerous causes for this condition and they include change in diet, food intolerance and consumption of table scraps or waste materials from trash. Sometimes, this condition...
- Dog Vomiting Blood
Is your dog vomiting blood? This condition is medically referred to as hematemesis. If your dog is throwing up blood, have your dog examined by a vet in order to determine the cause. Though vomiting could just be a case of dietary intolerance, throwing...
- Upset Stomach In Dogs
Every dog breed is prone to suffer from an upset stomach at some time or the other. It is a common dog health problem, that all dog owners should be aware about. Puppies are most likely to develop this condition and to treat it on time, it is essential...
- Dog Throwing Up Yellow Bile
Did You Know?Similar to humans, if a dog's stomach stays empty for too long, it could cause digestive acids and bile to accumulate within the stomach chamber. In the absence of any food to digest, these liquids irritate the stomach walls, causing...