What is gastroenteritis in dogs

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets. Foreign Body Obstruction in Dogs. Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Dogs. Intestinal Parasites and Dogs A-Z.

Colitis in Dogs. Skip to main content. Travel history? Related topics. Our experts are here to help. Get in touch with us directly any time, any way. Message us. Gastroenteritis in dogs is a fairly common condition and will usually display as diarrhoea and sometimes vomiting too. Find out all you need to know about what causes it, the most common symptoms and the current veterinary treatments available.

What is gastroenteritis in dogs? What causes gastroenteritis in dogs? Symptoms of gastroenteritis in dogs. Vomiting may appear foamy and yellow in colour once the stomach has been emptied Diarrhoea Stomach pain Lack of appetite Gagging or dry heaving Lethargy. There may also be clotty substances with the blood. These symptoms are obviously alarming and indicate urgent veterinary care is needed. HGE in dogs is a life-threatening condition.

If appropriate veterinary treatment is not given to your dog, they could die. However, provided they see a vet promptly, your canine companion could recover within a few days. Dogs with HGE will appear seriously unwell very suddenly, becoming dehydrated from the loss of fluids due to the persistent vomiting and diarrhoea. They will also seem very lethargic and depressed, with a very tender stomach.

Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis differs from gastroenteritis, as HGE is idiopathic in nature. This means that it has no known cause and that it occurs spontaneously in an otherwise healthy dog. However, it is believed that hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in dogs may be caused by the same factors that cause acute gastroenteritis.

There are a number of things that can cause gastroenteritis. These causes will also affect the condition and how it affects the dog. There are many causes of acute gastroenteritis in dogs. It is usually caused by short-term problems and illnesses or external factors. These include:. One of the main causes of acute gastroenteritis in dogs is dietary indiscretion.

Injury to the gut could also be caused by a pooch chewing on a stick or brittle bone. Although sticks and bones are frequently associated with dogs, they can be very dangerous. Fragments of wood and bone are not only a choking hazard, they can cut and damage the linings of a dogs throat, stomach, and intestines. This will then lead to irritation and inflammation, ie, gastroenteritis.

These cuts can also become infected, which will cause serious illness. A dog swallowing any foreign object should be taken very seriously, and you should contact your vet as soon as possible. This could be scraps they scrounged from the bin or floor or table scraps given to them as treats.

Scrounged food can pose a problem as it may be contaminated with bacteria. Additionally, some human food can be disagreeable for dogs and cause tummy upset, like high-fat foods which can trigger pancreatitis. Therefore if you want to treat your pup to some human food, be sure to check it is safe for them to snack on. Other causes of acute gastroenteritis can include stress, sudden dietary changes, ingesting toxins, parasitic infections, and bacterial or viral infections.

Stress and hyperactivity are sometimes associated with bouts of acute illness, including gastroenteritis. Additionally, Switching your pooch to new food too fast can cause problems. This is because the gastrointestinal tract may have a reaction to having to process very different food, with different ingredients. This is why it is always advised to slowly transition a dog to a new food.

There are a number of bacteria and viruses that can cause gastroenteritis in your furry friend. A dog might develop an infection from an internal injury, such as a cut in their intestinal lining. The best way to protect your pup and prevent them from being affected by the worst viruses, like canine parvovirus, is to make sure they are up to date on their vaccinations. Chronic gastroenteritis can be caused by the same things that cause acute gastroenteritis.

However as the period of illness is beyond a few weeks, it can also be associated with an underlying condition. This could be a food allergy or intolerance. Meanwhile, a dietary intolerance means that your pooch is unable to digest a certain substance properly. Chronic gastroenteritis may also be caused by persistent and underlying health problems.

These could be conditions relating to the digestive system, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. On the other hand, it may be caused by an undiagnosed but serious illness such as stomach cancer.

It is thought that it can be caused by the same factors that cause acute gastroenteritis in dogs. However, the cause of gastroenteritis can be contagious. Whether or not it is contagious, will depend on what it is. Other causes of gastroenteritis such as allergies, injured or obstructed intestines, and dietary indiscretion are not contagious. Gastroenteritis caused by other illnesses, such as IBS, are also non-contagious. However, the most common cause of gastroenteritis in humans is a bacteria called Campylobacterosis.

Right up front — if your dog has this infectious gastro, you need to expect around a week or more of illness. There are no medical cures for viral infections — the immune system does all the work here. It's an umbrella term covering any cause of inflammation of the stomach and intestines. And we generally use it to describe an acute condition rather than a chronic one. The terms acute and chronic refer to time frame rather than severity.

If it persists for 2 weeks or more, then it's considered chronic.