When your dog is stressed, it can have a negative impact on its fitness and well-being. Why? Anxiety, like humans, has a significant effect on the digestive process. When animals with colitis are stressed, it irritates the digestive organs, lowering immunity and causing an abnormality in the gut biome. This is known as stress colitis. Since stress colitis requires medical intervention, one must bring their pet to animal medical center Virginia Beach VA if they suspect their pet has stress colitis.
Recognizing stress colitis, its clinical signs, and how to treat it will significantly improve your dog’s mood.
Understanding Canine Colitis
Colitis is an umbrella term for irritation of the gut or large intestine. Colitis can be caused by several reasons, including:
- Worms in the intestines or other pathogens
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Food intolerances or sensitivities
- Bacterial or fungal diseases of the gastrointestinal tract
- Eating high-fat meals, table leftovers, or making drastic dietary alterations
Colitis problems appear and disappear. Stress can cause these flare-ups, which is known as stress colitis. Even if the etiology of the colitis was not stress-related, stress could trigger or worsen episodes of colitis indications. There are “positive” things that may produce stress as well as “bad” things that might induce stress.
Some examples of potential stresses are:
- Fear, anxiety, trauma, despair, regular changes, and exhilaration from play, guests, automobile journeys, or new experiences
- Physical activity, discomfort, damage, or trauma
- Extreme temperatures, pollution, or allergies in the environment
- Biological Alteration and Discomfort Caused by Microbial, Fungi, Viruses, or Parasites
- Toxicants, fertilizers, insecticides, or dust can cause physical changes and pain.
- High-fat meals, an irregular diet, or foods that are difficult to digest
Your veterinarian will do a medical examination and screening procedures on your dog to determine if he has colitis. A stool sample (fecal test) to look for intestinal parasites, blood testing, radiography, and maybe a colon biopsy are among the procedures that may be performed.
Symptoms of Stress Colitis in Dogs
Though each dog is unique, and indications of colitis can differ, the following are typical:
- Stool that is soft and loose
- A shift in the color of the stool
- Stool with blood spots
- Increased pooping
- Attempting to poop
- Extra gas
- Pooping discomfort
- alterations in eating habits
- Pain in the abdomen
- Lethargy
Prolonged colitis can cause a reduction or decreased appetite, calorie restriction, exhaustion, and poor skin and coat quality.
How to Treat Stress Colitis in Your Dog
If necessary, your veterinarian will devise a treatment regimen for the underlying cause of the colitis. They can also teach you how to deal with stress colitis bursts when they occur.
The pet care Virginia Beach vet may use fasting for 12-24 hours to treat stress colitis. This allows the digestive tract to relax and helps to reduce inflammation. After fasting, serve a bland and easily digested food for at least 4-5 days after discomfort subsides. You can make basic, boiled, sliced, and skinned chicken and plain boiled rice, or you can get a recommended GI diet from your veterinarian.
Your vet may prescribe anti-inflammatories, antibacterial, or anti-diarrheal medications for dogs. You should never give over-the-counter human anti-diarrhea drugs to your dog since they might do more damage than benefit. They might be hazardous to your dog if dosed inappropriately.
Flare-ups of stress colitis usually resolve after 3-5 days. This does not indicate that the colitis has been healed, and future attacks of stress colitis are possible. It is critical to have your dog examined regularly by your veterinarian and to take actions to avoid or reduce stress if feasible.
If the symptoms are severe, or if treatment fails, and your dog becomes unwell and dehydrated, they may require hospitalization and supportive care, including intravenous fluids and medicines.…