Sickness is not altogether a pleasant experience for any of us. Is it?
Neither is it delightful for doggies.
Diseases always create unexpected nuisance – unnecessary wastage of money and exasperating health issues – both in men and in canines. As they don’t speak your language, you often come to detect the problem only when the overall health deteriorates. As a result, the dog has to suffer much even in the recovery process. Therefore it is of utmost importance to cure any disease before it gets out of control. Colitis in dogs is such an issue that needs extensive care alike.
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What is colitis?
The inflammation of colon line is known as colitis. Colon is the lower part of the intestine and is widely known as the ‘large intestine’. (It works the same in human stomach also.) Large intestine absorbs the leftover water and water soluble components in foods, and with the help of bacterio-enzymal process digest the fibers- making them stools to be excreted. But sometimes, problems occur here due to bizarre dietary plans and foods containing insoluble or less dissolving ingredients and indigestible fibers. These hard fibers are difficult to digest in the large intestine and they cause inflammation, often resulting in IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Diseases) and infection. If your pup is suffering from such inflammation, you need to take immediate actions. But how will you be sure whether his painful ailment is Colitis or not?
Here are some symptoms
- Abdominal Pain
(the dog may give up strange noises when he feels the cramps)
- Chronic or episodic Diarrhoea
- Dehydration
(passing out excessive water and salt in stool)
- Intestinal Gas Retention
(the dog would give recurrent farts)
- Abdominal bloating
(his tummy would be inflated and tardy and if you gently strike on it with a finger, it would give echoing sound)
- Constipation (hard stool)
| Diarrhea and constipation in the same list might seem self-contradictory to you, but either of the two would appear in colitis. They may also appear one after the other – with asymptomatic gaps in between. |
- Bloody Stool
- Irritable bowel syndrome
(he gets painful cramps in the abdomen before poo, and may feel sudden false urges to evacuate)
- Strange body postures
These are the prime symptoms of colitis in your pooch. Keenly observe the dog. If he shows the above signs, you can be sure of his sickness. But before rushing towards remedies, let’s know some of the fundamental causes and consequences of colitis in canines.
Causes and Consequences
There are numerous causes of canine colitis. Few researchers believe genetic disposition to be the force behind intestinal inflammation. But it is unlikely to be true. Most canine experts, however, believe the dietary imbalance to be the prime cause that enshrines and provokes numerous problems. The foods we usually give to eat our dear pet, are fraught with low fibres, having less propensity to be disposed of easily. They create complications, block the colon line and sometimes loosens it ; thus inflaming or bloating the large intestine. Moreover, another cause of colitis can be parasites such as whipworm in your puppy’s stomach. However, it is difficult to find out if he is prey to such uninvited guests.
The results of colitis are many. It normally results in inflaming bowel diseases. From chronic diarrhoea to dietary intolerance, anything can be the consequence. It sometimes creates infection in the intestine and colon. And dangerously, intestinal cancer can be the worst possible result in your pooch. So immediate treatment is fundamentally necessary.
There are a number of treatments both natural and medicinal available to treat your dog. If you think and find the sickness to be milder one and if you don’t wanna mess up with the veterinarian’s labyrinth at the early stage of illness, then you can treat the adorable canine with natural home treatments. How will you do that? Here lies your guideline.
Guideline on How Do You Treat Colitis in Dogs
- Control the Diet
If you find your dog’s colitis, you should immediately make considerable changes in his diet. Replace his usual food plan with something easily digestive. Foods replete with easy digestive fibres should be the first choice to give the pooch. Don’t buy canned meat from the shop. These are usually by-products containing low calories and less digestive ingredients. Same applies with the flour, wheat, corn and other substances. Try to give him homemade liquid foods. Only fresh meat should be given. Vegetables and wheat soup can be served. (if he likes, of course, because allergic foods are not good for dogs). If you are only sure of the quality of canned stuff you can give him.
Try to add some extra seeds of flax or similar items to the meal. It will pacify the intestinal passage. Never allow your dog to eat fabric or grass. Many dogs eat such unhealthy stuff during their colitis period. So if you see your puppy eating them, don’t be surprised. Rather prevent him from doing self destructive eating by hook or by crook. Check the foods that you are buying from stores If they contain any preservatives, coloring elements or artificial taste- increasing substances then you had better replace them with something else.
Give him foods brimming with useful enzymes and probiotics (bacteria that is beneficial). They smooth the digestion process. Make sure the dietary plan includes abundant liquid or jelly-like elements. Never give your pup indigestible foods or elements that are hard to dissolve.
- Eliminate problematic foods from diet
Many dogs show allergies and intolerance toward several foods (as many humans do the same). Wheat and corn are disliked by many dogs. Some even detests everything but meat. If they are forced to eat them out of hunger, they might grow a sense of despise for the food. It then wrecks havoc on the intestines.
But the main problem is finding out which foods your cute companion detest. Unfortunately, it is not an easy task. First eliminate all goodies and rewarding delicacies from the pet. Accustom him with only normal foods. Try one particular item twice or thrice a day. Keep a close eye in which specific food his excretion problems intensify. Eliminate that particular food from the diet chart. If you are right to assess the condition then most probably you can expel the unwanted food item and save your dog’s colon line.
- Regulate Water Intake
Water is one of the best gifts of nature. It is essential for every animal’s growth and survival. But many dog owners neglect the importance of such elements. They often don’t give their adorable pooch enough pure drinking water. Some even don’t hinder the pet eating contaminated water. But a considerable amount of pure water is of utmost importance to digest food. Scarcity of it, results in constipation, thus securing the road to numerous intestine issues. Keeping the dog hydrated with liquid or semi-liquid stuff is suggested widely by vets. So feed your dog pure water. Don’t let him play in muddy, boggy areas. Nor in soaking rain.
- Keeping Neat and Clean
Sickness dwells in dirty, filthy places. Tidiness is necessary to help your sick dog recover. An unhealthy environment will probably intensify the ailment further. So keep the place where your pup sleeps, walks and goes as tidy as possible. Don’t let him create a mess anywhere despite his tummy problems. Let him poop only in the selected area. Bathe him with lukewarm water afresh everyday if possible. Some dogs can lick his own excretion. Resist this activity with a firm rebuke.
- Develop the Immune System
Developing the immune system by the passage of time is an intelligent plan to execute. It will fight against all odds and diseases. So, first of all, to create a defensive mechanism more dynamic and active, make your dog exercise everyday. It increases immune faculty to a certain extent. Feed him nutritious, but less fatty food items. Give yogurt once a week. It soothes digestive tracts. Don’t take him to vets unless it is a major issue. Then the immune system will develop a power of fighting minor illnesses.
- Other Steps
Many vets suggest omega-3 fatty oil (collected from fish, not from other sources) to be used with food. Though researches are going on about the efficacy of this item, dog owners and vets found it efficacious as an anti-inflammatory element from their long experience. You can use psyllium husk to improve the digestibility of meals. Moreover, some herbs and plants such as turmeric paste, oil of cinnamon etc. are highly effective to detoxify gastrointestinal passage. Licorice root is also recommended by vets since it has anti-inflammatory components. Being an antimicrobial herb, it deals with inflamed mucous membrane, keeping the stool normal as well as bloodless.
Don’ts
- Don’t be unresponsive or ignore symptoms of sickness in your pup;
- Don’t ever let your dog eat inedible substance; better to avoid hard to digest foods;
- Don’t give him raw and stale foods. Make the nourishments with fresh stuff;
- Don’t force him to eat what he dislikes;
- Don’t let your dog starve either;
- Don’t give him unnecessary antibiotics – it weakens the natural immune power sometimes, and makes the bacteria more resistant to the usual dosage of the drug;
- Don’t be harsh with your dog in his periods of illness – give him enough attention;
- Don’t forget to de-worm the pooch after every three months.
When Not to go for Natural treatments
It is easy to suggest treatments without proper knowledge and qualifications. Many would do so – a friend, a neighbor, an elderly relative etc. Never pay heed to what they say or recommend. Such callousness may create disaster. Before you begin to play the role of a doctor, first remember that any fault you may do out of ignorance would end up with suffering for your beloved pet. Would you ever be convinced to get under the scissors of a friend who has no medical expertise? So, why should you do the same to your dog?
Don’t seek antibiotic or antimicrobial prescriptions uploaded over the net, unless from a trusted vet individually examining your case. Each case of illness in each dog has its separate feature – requiring subjective treatment. Don’t use prescriptions given to others’ dogs. Unregulated use of antibiotics can lead to growing resistance in the germs, which would need higher levels of antibiotics – which are much pricy and have heavy side-effects on the body too.
Usually when your dog is repeatedly defecating with blood and mucus, it is a sign of impending disaster. Then what you need to do is to take an urgent appointment with your vet. Don’t forget to take a sample of stool to test. You may need to spend some money on the tests. But there is no other way. Inflamed or bloated colitis is downright dangerous and heavily painful for the pet.
Final Thoughts
Consult your vet on all health issues indiscriminately. In serious cases (such as bloody stool) don’t take the decision to stick to home remedies. Do try home remedies first. Fend off bacterio-germinal attacks. Remove unhygienic food from the diet plan. See if he recovers on his own. But if the symptoms deteriorate, you have to knock the vet.
Follow the course that the veterinarian suggests properly. A minute departure from adherence to their guideline may lead to severe damages to the health – ultimately resulting in your losing the pup.
Prevention is better than cure – isn’t it the biggest truth always?
Once he recovers, try your best to follow the preventive measures discussed to annihilate further flare ups of the disease. Dogs often share their emotions with you, they give you the most valuable things of a living being – trust and friendship. In return, the least you should do is to get him relieved from colitis and similar sickness.
So, take care of your pet and enjoy his enlivening healthy company.
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