Most dogs with gastroenteritis will present with mild fever and be lethargic. When first diagnosing, your veterinarian may perform an abdominal exam to evaluate hydration status and palpate the abdomen for any possible obstructions or mass.
Your vet will ask about recent changes to diet and any history of exposure to unusual food, garbage or toxins, while also looking out for signs of dehydration and possibly conducting fecal analyses, bloodwork or X-rays as necessary.
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Causes
Symptoms of gastroenteritis vary depending on its underlying cause, from diarrhea (ranging from mildly soft stool to watery feces) or vomiting to diarrhea. While acute cases often come on suddenly, chronic cases often develop over weeks or months and become quite unpleasant over time – often leading to dehydration and shock in severe cases.
Your dog may occasionally experience abdominal borborygmi, which occurs when intestinal muscles contract, which should not be taken as a sign that something more serious like hemorrhagic gastroenteritis exists; leaving this untreated could prove fatal for their wellbeing.
Your vet will conduct a complete medical history exam of your dog, noting any recent changes in diet, food sources and exposure to toxins. They’ll conduct a physical exam as well, taking note of its hydration status and looking for abdominal discomfort. Furthermore, they may recommend further tests like blood work, urine analysis or ultrasound scans.
Symptoms
Dogs affected with gastroenteritis typically display diarrhea which ranges in consistency from soft feces to watery stool, often vomiting accompanied by blood or mucus and sometimes being unable to keep even water down, becoming severely dehydrated in some instances.
If your dog is showing any of these symptoms, it is advisable to visit a vet as soon as possible for examination and medical history review. A veterinarian will conduct a physical exam as well as review its medical record.
Stool samples should be sent off to a laboratory for analysis as well as blood or urine samples for other conditions that might be involved. With appropriate diagnosis and treatment of gastroenteritis – typically identified via stool sample analysis – prognosis can often be quite good; hospitalization may become necessary in more serious cases in order to provide fluid therapy and provide fluid therapy as necessary.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing gastroenteritis in your pet relies on their history and physical examination. Because rapid dehydration occurs with this condition, it is crucial that any dog experiencing vomiting or diarrhea rehydrate as soon as possible – either orally in mild cases or subcutaneously at the veterinarian clinic.
Your veterinarian will require information regarding any changes to your pets diet, access to table scraps or containers of food they might have come into contact with, supplements taken recently and frequency of diarrhea/vomiting episodes. They may also want to know about any history of pancreatitis/hepatitis/other intestinal illnesses affecting them.
Your veterinarian may recommend blood work, urinalysis or ultrasound/x-rays depending on the severity of symptoms to ascertain an underlying cause and treat vomiting/diarrhoea as quickly as possible so as to rehydrate and avoid complications like aspiration pneumonia.
Treatment
If the symptoms don’t worsen over the next few days, your dog should usually make a speedy recovery with rest at home and an electrolyte supplement in their water to assist with rapid healing.
Your vet will conduct a full examination and medical history review to identify possible causes for gastroenteritis in your dog. They may ask about recent food intake or changes, any recent vaccinations and whether your pup was exposed to anything unusual such as trash, foreign materials or harmful toxins that might have contributed.
If your gastroenteritis symptoms include bloody diarrhoea or vomiting (homorrhagic gastric enteritis or AHDS) then immediate veterinary assistance should be sought as it could become very serious. They will need fluids given either via injection in hospital or as tablets (Cerenia). They will also receive medications to keep vomiting down as well as any nausea medication they need.
