Symptoms of Colitis in Dogs you Need to Know

Colitis in dogs is a condition in which the colon becomes inflamed. It can cause several problems in dogs, including diarrhea, pain and discomfort and difficulty in defecating. Not only dogs, humans can also be afflicted by colitis.

There could be several factors causing colitis in dogs. One of the most common ones is stress. Stress is commonly the root of any diseases, so it is important to prevent your dogs from getting stressed.

When your dog is getting stressed, then your dog’s immune system may be affected. Get some tips on boosting your dog’s immune system and make sure that your dog stays healthy.

There are some other causes of colitis in dogs. Besides stress, colitis in dogs can be caused by other factors, such as food allergies, immune disease, irritate bowel syndrome (IBS), injury or damage to colon, pancreatitis, gut infection and eating something unusual.

There are two types of colitis in dogs: acute and chronic. Acute colitis is a one-off condition that lasts a few days and afterwards, your dog will be able to return to normal.

There are some external triggers, such as undiagnosed infection, parasites and many more. Meanwhile, chronic colitis happens when the dog repeatedly suffers from colitis. It is more severe and ongoing condition.

Colitis is considered as a serious problem too, so it is very important to get to know the symptoms. Let’s see the common symptoms of colitis in dogs you need to be aware of.

• Runny and more frequent feces, sometimes with bright flecks of blood – your dog may have diarrhea when he has abnormal bowel movement especially because his digestive tract is affected.
• Constipation – because the colon is inflamed, the bowel movement might be more difficult. That’s why your dog may strain and linger longer when he is trying to defecate. If you have puppies and they have constipation, then you should try these natural treatments for puppies constipation.
• Lack of interest in food – due to diarrhea, your dog may experience weight loss and dehydration. Because of these effects, your dog may lose his appetite due to the uneasiness of his stomach.
• Unusual eating habit
• Loss of weight
• Lethargy – this might happen due to dehydration.
• Inflammation or pain in the lower regions
• Stomach cramps
• Excessive straining
• Dull coat

After knowing all of those symptoms, then you need to do an action. There are some ways of treating colitis in dogs. Let’s take a look at each of the ways:

• Giving a bland diet – you can treat your dog which is infected by colitis with a bland diet. If you’re not sure about it, you can ask your vet to design a diet plan for your dog. This can be done for a short period
• Probiotics – another way to treat colitis is by giving them probiotics. Probiotics enable to reduce colitis, enabling your dog’s body to absorb nutrients better. No wonder, probiotics is also listed as one of the ways to prevent fungal infections in dogs.
• Deworming – deworming treatments are used to treat parasitic infections which are the main cause of colitis in dogs. The type of deworming treatment depends on the type of the parasite. Worms are causes of some diseases in dogs, that’s why it is very important to know the ways on how to prevent worms in pets.
• Anti-inflammatory medications – some medications and immune boosters are effective to soothe colitis caused by IBD. Trazodone, an example of anti-anxiety medications, when combined with probiotics, can be helpful to prevent stress-induced colitis too.
• Increase fiber in your dog’s diet – when your dog has colitis, he might have difficulty in absorbing water. It leads to dehydration, rapid weight loss and diarrhea. However, by increasing the fiber content in his diet helps to keep them hydrated and prevent the manifestations of colitis. The best source of fiber is vegetable. Get some references of vegetables your pet can eat and get some for your dog.

Colitis is one of the serious problems which dogs may face. As an owner, you must want to prevent your dog from getting it, even once. There are some ways you can do to prevent your dog from getting colitis, such as avoid stressful situations, hold regular worming treatment, feed your dog with high-quality diet, stop your dog from eating something he shouldn’t.

Give your dog a good-quality diet and make sure to avoid giving these poisonous food to your dogs and foods that cause diarrhea in dogs. Besides, stress in dogs should be prevented too. You can try popular tips to keep your dog happy playing indoors.