Gastroenteritis in dogs: causes, symptoms, treatment

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

If your pet has poor digestion, vomiting and diarrhea, or a dog whines, then this is a reason to seek help from a veterinarian. No need to wait for everything to go by itself. As a rule, such symptoms mean one thing - gastroenteritis in dogs. Let's study this disease in more detail and see how to cure it properly.

Why does the disease appear

Gastroenteritis in dogs primarily affects the mucous membrane of the stomach and entire intestine. In severe cases of the disease, the serous and muscular layers begin to suffer. If the treatment is completely absent or was prescribed by an unqualified doctor, then complications can subsequently occur that affect the kidneys, liver and heart. And in the end it will all lead to death.

The main causes of the disease are the following factors:

• irregular feeding;
• poor quality, spicy, greasy food;
• ingestion of s alts of heavy metals;
• taking certain medicationsdrugs;
• food allergy.

Gastroenteritis in dogs is often caused by infectious diseases.

Type of disease

Judging by how this disease can proceed, veterinarians classify gastroenteritis into several types:

• diphtheritic;
• purulent:
• gross;
• hemorrhagic;
• phlegmonous;
• muco-membranous;
• mixed.

There are also three additional types:

• primary;
• secondary;
• chronic.

The main primary source of this disease in pets is food. The lack of trace elements and vitamins in it, constant overeating and cheap low-quality feed lead to the fact that fermentation begins in the stomach of dogs. Even if your pet eats exclusively high-quality products, there is a risk that the animal will pick up something on the street, and this may cause poisoning, allergies, and then gastroenteritis in the dog. Treatment in this case should be effective and started immediately.

Secondary gastroenteritis is formed after the development of infectious diseases, helminthic invasions, hemostasis and caprostasis.

Parvovirus gastroenteritis

This disease is considered one of the most dangerous that can only affect the gastrointestinal tract. Gastroenteritis in dogs of this species appeared not so long ago, butmany cases of infection have already been recorded in the Russian Federation, Japan, Great Britain, North America and Europe.

Scientists have proven that the virus develops due to pathogens that die only after boiling. If this type of disease has affected the he alth of an adult dog, then there is a chance that the pet can recover. Small puppies, as a rule, die from parvovirus gastroenteritis. The main peak of disease activity occurs in spring and summer. The decline begins at the end of autumn, when the first frosts set in.

Most often, infection occurs from a sick dog, which excretes pathogenic bacteria along with feces and vomit. Their highest concentration occurs on the third day after contact.

Coronavirus gastroenteritis

If your pet has a weak immune system, then it is at risk of infection. This disease is also transmitted from a sick dog to a he althy one. When infected in the gastrointestinal tract of the animal, an inflammatory process is formed, which is additionally accompanied by exhaustion and dehydration of the body. The disease can take place in three ways:

• spicy;
• super sharp;
• hidden.

In the hyperacute form, the puppy can only live for about two days, then death occurs. The acute course of the disease is accompanied by:

• vomit;
• diarrhea;
• blood in urine and feces.

Latent form passes with little or no symptoms, and intestinaldisorders can be mistaken for ordinary indigestion.

How to identify the disease

If you suspect gastroenteritis, symptoms in dogs in this case are as follows:

• High body temperature (in a dog it can reach up to 41 degrees).
• Feverish condition.
• Sluggishness.
• The skin becomes less elastic (due to dehydration).
• Drop in eyes.
• The dog is whining.
• Increased flatulence with belching.
• Colic in the stomach.
• Fast weight loss.
• Vomiting and diarrhea.
• Bad breath in a dog.
• Presence of blood in the stool.

The last symptom indicates that gastroenteritis in dogs develops directly in the rectum. If there are black or dark brown spots in the stool, then this indicates the development of an ailment in the small intestine.

Home Ambulance

If a dog has at least one symptom from the above list, then the first thing you should do is call a doctor. Self-treatment of gastroenteritis is impossible and in most cases fatal. Your dog will most likely refuse to eat or drink. Don't force her. Better take the temperature in the anus of the animal.

If a dog's diarrhea and vomiting lasted too long, then surely the pet has already begun dehydration. In this case, the first aid to the dog is provided with the help of a therapeutic solution, which can be prepared at home according to the followingprescription:

• liter of water;
• 4 grams of rock s alt;
• 3 grams of baking soda;
• 2 grams of potassium chloride;
• 20 grams of sugar or glucose.

The prepared solution is given to the dog in portions at the rate of: 40 grams of solution per 1 kg of weight. You can buy dry powder at the pharmacy to prepare such a drink. Drinking continues until the diarrhea stops.

Treatment

To defeat this ailment, not only various medicines should be used, but also the right diet. Treatment begins as soon as one of the symptoms appears.

Medicines

The following range of drugs are used for therapy:

1. Antimicrobials. These include: "Biseptol", "Fthalazol", Trichopol" and antibiotics. To remove pathogenic microbes from the pet's body, use Imodium and Levomecitin.
2. Enemas to cleanse the body. They will help to remove all toxins. For the solution, a decoction of chamomile and St. John's wort, potassium permanganate, boric acid or furatsilin is used. 30-40 minutes after cleansing, the dog is injected with a nutrient solution, such as meat broth, rice water or milk.
3. Be sure to give adsorbents, such as activated carbon.
4. To prevent diarrhea from reappearing, give astringents. These include oak bark, tannin, string or bird cherry.
5. Means with an enveloping effect: "Phosphalugel" or a decoction of flax seeds.
6. If the pet's bodyseverely depleted, you can inject Ringer's solution directly into the rectum.
7. Vitamin therapy is required.
8. You need to take care of antihistamines. These include "Suprastin", "Kestin" or "Diazolin".
9. The dog needs to drink a course of sedatives, namely "No-shpa", "Almagel", "Besalol" or belladonna infusion.

An experienced veterinarian should definitely develop an individual treatment for the dog, depending on the severity of the disease, weight and other individual indicators.

Therapeutic diet

Without proper nutrition, medication alone will not help your four-legged friend. If the dog has an appetite, that's good. But do not immediately start stuffing the animal with food. On the first day, the pet should have access only to water and medicinal solutions. Then you can gradually introduce meat broths and decoctions of flax and chaga.

After two days have passed, boiled eggs can be introduced. For an adult animal, approximately 2-3 pieces per day. After another 3-4 days, you can cook rice or oatmeal in meat broth. You can also add some low-fat minced meat to it.

Five days later, fermented milk products return to the diet. You can cook porridge. After a couple more days, the dog can eat boiled vegetables. The usual diet can be returned 10 days after the start of complex treatment.

In order for the diet to give its positive results, you should familiarize yourself withsome additional advice:

1. Servings should be small. Feed your dog often, about 6 times a day.
2. Amount of s alt and trace elements should remain in the diet.
3. Don't feed your pet peas, beans, bones and raw vegetables for the whole month.
4. Don't let your dog eat grass and pick up foreign objects.
5. During the entire treatment period, the four-legged friend should be observed daily by the veterinarian.

How to distinguish an illness from an allergy

The dog's temperature has risen - what to do? There is no need to immediately panic that your pet has gastroenteritis. Maybe it's just a food allergy. It can appear on the following products:

• eggs;
• horsemeat;
• beef;
• raw fish;
• grain protein.

If the dog has diarrhea and vomiting, this may also indicate an allergy. In this case, you need to quickly identify the product and eliminate it from the diet. It is better to use poultry meat or young veal for feeding animals. Also, the body of some pets is susceptible to rice and buckwheat.

Consequences of gastroenteritis

Parasites that settle in the intestines of a dog negatively affect its further development. And the puppies, instead of gaining weight and being active, remain thin, and there is also frequent diarrhea. In this case, do not neglect the use of anthelmintic drugs.

In principle, the disease is easy, without any complications. Costsremember that the consequences can be very diverse. Dog owners are discouraged from diagnosing and treating gastroenteritis on their own. If a dog has bad breath, only a doctor will tell you what to do in this case.

Transferred gastroenteritis forms good immunity in four-legged friends for a long time. The bitch will pass it on through her breast milk to her future offspring. Puppies will be immune to the virus for about three months. After this period, they must be vaccinated.