Dogs and cats often eat toxic plants, which cause this same disease.
Our pet, and at the same time our best friend, the dog, understands us not only emotionally but also physically since we share some illnesses. One of them is, for example, gastroenteritis. This illness affects all people and also animals, so we must know how to act when this happens.
What is gastroenteritis?
Gastroenteritis is a disease caused by inflammation of the stomach and small intestine, which causes vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, and/or abdominal pain. This disease was known until 1825 as typhoid fever or by other more colloquial names to refer to stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. It was not until that date that it was renamed gastroenteritis.
Gastroenteritis is a very common disease in developing countries, which is still the cause of death for many children in the poorest areas of our planet, but is almost harmless for citizens who do not live in the third world.
This inflammation of the intestinal tract can occur due to different causes common in humans and canines throughout the world, such as: rotavirus, which is more common in children, and norovirus and Campylobacter. Gastroenteritis can also be transmitted through contact with other people in the case of humans or with other dogs in the case of dogs. It can also be transmitted through contaminated water or food that is not properly prepared or is in poor condition.
However, dogs and cats often eat toxic plants, which cause this same disease. Normally, our pet’s life is not endangered in our environment, but there is also transmissible porcine gastroenteritis (TPG) for which there is no treatment today. This comes through pigs and is carried by some birds, but it is not the most common gastroenteritis.
Causes of gastroenteritis
The causes of this disease in dogs are usually similar to those in humans that we have already discussed previously:
- Eating food that is in poor condition or not prepared properly
- Eating foreign objects (garbage, toys…)
- Viral, fungal or other bacterial infections
- Eating foreign bodies can also cause infections in the intestinal tract, producing bleeding that can be seen in the vomit or feces and is highly dangerous for the animal’s life.
It is normal for puppies to bite many objects due to tooth pain or to eat foreign objects, as this is their way of identifying them. By doing this, they may eat things that may upset their stomach and make them vomit or expel them in their stool.
It is very important to supervise your puppy at all times to ensure that he does not ingest any objects or eat garbage that could cause future gastroenteritis or much more serious health problems. Likewise, some parasites, medications or disorders of the pancreas, liver or kidneys can also cause gastroenteritis in dogs.
How dogs suffer from gastroenteritis
In dogs, gastroenteritis is also a digestive disorder in which the intestinal tract, made up of the stomach and small intestine, does not function properly, causing the symptoms already mentioned. It occurs in dogs of all breeds and ages, although some breeds seem to be predisposed to suffer from this disease, such as German shepherds or boxers.
This inflammation causes dehydration, constant vomiting, and diarrhea. However, it is normal for dogs to vomit, since they eat certain types of herbs to purge their stomach occasionally. However, it is not normal when the vomiting is persistent and the dog no longer wants to eat or drink water.
Diagnosing gastroenteritis in dogs
As we have mentioned before, it is normal for dogs to vomit occasionally or have diarrhea if they have eaten something out of the ordinary. This is more common in puppies who are still learning what they should and should not eat. However, there are some clear signs that show that our best friend could be suffering from gastroenteritis, no matter their age or the cause:
- The first and most basic is to see him vomit repeatedly or have diarrhea.
- If our dog suffers from this disease, he will probably be depressed and not very eager to run , go outside or play.
- Sometimes we can hear our dog convulsing and the sound of his stomach making noise.
- We will see our dog turn his stomach in, a sign of abdominal cramps or to force vomiting.
- If, in addition, your pet does not drink water or feel like eating, we must be sure that our pet is not feeling well.
- In the same way we can observe that he feels dizzy and has low reflexes when he is sick and in some cases, we can also see that he is no longer vomiting food or some other object but intestinal fluids.
When dogs are sick and recognize their symptoms, they try to stay away from food and drink so as not to vomit again. However, we must take action, since we do not want our dog to stop eating and drinking and become dehydrated due to lack of fluids in the body (since after vomiting and/or diarrhea, it may have lost many of the vitamins and mineral salts necessary in its body to be in good health).
If the symptoms persist and the dog is passing blood, it will be necessary to take it to the vet immediately. There, it will be diagnosed and some tests will be carried out such as: blood tests, urine or feces tests, and/or an x-ray of the abdominal area to see if there is any object obstructing the intestine or stomach. The results of the tests will show if the dog has an elevated blood count (evaluation of red blood cells) and if so, it will be a clear sign that our pet suffers from gastroenteritis.
Treatment and cure of gastroenteritis
If we are dealing with a case of common gastroenteritis that does not endanger our pet’s life, we should keep it away from food for a couple of days so that it does not vomit every time it eats. However, we should encourage it to drink water, so that it does not become dehydrated. The vet may decide to feed it intravenously to also replace all the fluids lost during vomiting and diarrhea.
After these two days, if the dog’s health has improved, we can reintroduce food little by little or with a soft diet and when our pet shows clear signs of improvement, then it will be time to feed it normally. From this point on, it will mean that its gastroenteritis is already cured.
However, if the gastroenteritis has been caused by a virus, the veterinarian will recommend the use of antibiotics to eliminate this virus from the dog’s body. The course should be followed as directed by the professional and not done uninterruptedly, as this will reduce its effect.
Under no circumstances should a dog be given medication without the advice of a veterinarian, and even less so in this case, since the intestine is already irritated, and if we add non-prescribed medication we could cause more pain to our dog or even more serious problem that may be irreparable.
Once the dog is cured, it is best to maintain a balanced diet. It should always eat dog food rather than leftover food, and we should especially avoid letting it eat objects or waste from the street or the park. We should also make sure that it does not ingest any of its toys, as they can become blocked in the intestine and stomach and cause the pain and bleeding we mentioned above.
When to go to the vet
It is normal for a dog with mild gastroenteritis to suffer from the above-mentioned ailments for a maximum of two days, and on the third day to be eating and acting normally . However, if the symptoms persist for a third day or more, it is necessary to go to the vet. Mainly because, as the dog has not eaten or drank as usual for three days in a row, it must be dehydrated and the vet will have to administer the serum intravenously as we have explained above.
If we find blood in the vomit or stool, we should go to the emergency vet, since the swallowed object may be piercing or damaging the stomach or intestines and our pet’s life may be in danger.
If your dog is still a puppy, it is best to take him to the vet immediately if he has vomited several times in the same day, since his immune system is not as strong as that of an adult dog and may not be prepared to deal with illnesses like an older dog.
For our peace of mind, it is always best to consult a professional if we have any doubts about the health of our best friend since we will be calmer and we will be able to avoid in advance something that could be more serious. Also, and as we have already advised, we should not medicate our dog under any circumstances without first consulting our veterinarian. He will be the right person to diagnose and cure our beloved pet in the best possible way.