There are few things that get a dog parent out of bed faster than the unmistakable sound of your dog about to throw up. Just like humans, dogs can vomit and have diarrhoea from time to time. But if your dog's tummy issues don't resolve in a day or two, you might need to talk to your veterinarian about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in dogs and related conditions like colitis in dogs.
What is IBD in dogs?
Inflammatory bowel disease (commonly referred to as IBD) is a condition that involves inflammation of the walls of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. More recently, the term ‘IBD’ is being replaced by the term ‘chronic enteropathy’, so you may hear your vet use either or both terms interchangeably.
What are the signs of IBD in dogs?
Signs that your dog may have IBD include frequent vomiting, decreased appetite, weight loss, loose stool, frequent defecation, or liquid or bloody diarrhoea. Over time, IBD can lead to weight loss, decreased muscle mass and a poor coat. If you notice any of these signs, you should make an appointment with your dog's vet.
What Is Causing the GI Upset?
To understand the cause of GI upset associated with IBD, it is important to understand how food is broken down and absorbed by the body. When food is consumed, it travels down the oesophagus and stops in the stomach, where it undergoes digestion and breaks down into a more liquid substance called chyme. The chyme then passes into the small intestine, where most of the digestion and absorption of nutrients into the body occurs. The last stop in the GI tract is the large intestine, also called the colon. Here, bacteria break down the fibre in the food and water is absorbed. This process can be disrupted at one or multiple points in the GI tract by inflammation. The inflammation is an overreaction by the immune system — either to something your dog ate or from a malfunction of the immune system, called an autoimmune disease. This inflammation results in discomfort and interferes with the GI tract's ability to properly absorb nutrients.
Inflammation in the stomach is called gastritis and usually results in vomiting. When the inflammation is in the small intestine, it's classified as enteritis; in the colon, it's called colitis. The characteristics of your dog's diarrhoea can help the vet determine if the GI issues are caused by enteritis, colitis or both, and can help in determining the proper treatment.
How is IBD in dogs diagnosed and treated?
To determine if your dog has IBD, your vet will need to perform one or more of the following tests:
- Blood tests
- Faecal tests
- Ultrasound or radiography
- Biopsies
These tests help assess your dog's overall health and rule out other medical conditions.
The treatment for your dog may vary depending on the severity of the signs, how much damage has been done and what the suspected underlying cause may be. Usually, the first thing your vet will do is a food trial. This is because many chronic enteropathies can be very well managed with a therapeutic diet and nothing else. Some dogs may be given anti-inflammatory drugs or occasionally antibiotics. Drugs that act on the immune system may be needed sometimes too. Your vet may also want to treat your dog for parasites.
The food your vet chooses for the trial will depend, again, on what they suspect the main issue is. Vet recommendations may include:
- Hydrolysed protein or novel protein. These diets are used where adverse food reactions may be suspected.
- Foods to replenish and nourish the gut microbiome. The importance of the microbiome is huge. Having a healthy gut microbiome can boost the immune system, affect mental health and nourish the gut cells. Certain diets now have prebiotic fibre sources in them. These are indigestible to your dog but nourish ‘good’ bacteria in the gut. These bacteria, in turn, keep your dog’s GI system healthy.
- High-fibre foods, especially for colitis cases.
- Highly digestible, low residue/low fat foods, which may suit some cases better.
Tasty Tips
Is IBD in dogs curable or lifelong?
Inflammatory bowel disease is usually a chronic condition. It’s not curable in the traditional sense, but the majority of cases can be well managed with diet and/or medications. You may find your dog has occasional flare-ups, possibly brought on by a dietary indiscretion or a stressful event. Regular vet visits and monitoring are important to stay on top of IBD.
Tips for daily life with a dog diagnosed with IBD
- Follow your vet’s advice! Feeding your dog only what the vet recommends and giving them any medications per instructions is very important. Dogs with IBD due to adverse food reactions should be rigorously prevented from eating anything but the special diet.
- Feeding your dog smaller, more frequent meals may help, especially with vomiting. Avoid dietary changes unless recommended by your vet.
- Watch for stress. Stress can easily trigger IBD, so try to be aware of situations your dog may find stressful and reduce them. Your vet may recommend a behavioural consult to explore this.
- Keeping a food diary and a diary of GI signs can also be very useful.
Foods to avoid for dogs with IBD
The simple answer to this is anything your vet hasn’t recommended! However, the worst culprits tend to be:
- Raw foods, especially meats. Feeding your dog raw meat is one of the biggest causes of dietary upsets and also carries a significant public health risk as well as putting your dog at risk of infection.
- Human food. Many of these are toxic to dogs or may be high in sugar or fats, all of which could worsen or cause IBD.
- Dairy products. Dogs do not need dairy products and many dogs can’t digest it.
- Cheap pet foods. The cheaper brands of pet food tend to have formulas that vary from batch to batch. This means some weeks your dog may be eating wheat and some weeks maize. This is fine for many dogs, but dogs that have IBD may react to these changes.
By far the best thing to do is stick to whatever your vet has recommended. There are usually different flavours or textures of vet-recommended foods to give your dog some variety.
Can IBD in dogs be prevented?
IBD can develop for many reasons, and it’s not easy to predict when and why, which makes prevention almost impossible. However, there are a number of things that you can do to reduce the likelihood of it.
- Always feed your dog high quality, vet-recommended foods. Don’t give them scraps or human food.
- Keep your parasite control up to date.
- Keep vaccines up to date. Some infectious diseases can cause severe gut damage that your dog may never recover from.
- Keep your dog active and slim. This is important for a number of health benefits, but exercise is a great way to keep bowels functioning and healthy.
- Watch out for your dog’s mental wellbeing as well as physical. Keeping stress to a minimum is always a good thing for both us and our dogs!
- Always seek treatment as soon as possible for GI issues and don’t try to home-remedy it. The more severely the gut is damaged, the more likely it is that a chronic problem may arise.
No pet parent wants a chronic diagnosis such as IBD for their beloved pet, but if you do find yourself in that position, don’t panic. By working with your vet and following their advice, there is a very good chance that your dog will be right as rain and raring to go again very soon.
Frequently Asked Questions about IBD in dogs
What’s the difference between IBD and IBS in dogs?
The clinical signs of IBD can be similar to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in people, but the underlying cause is quite different. IBS in people is thought to occur as a result of abnormal movement of muscle in the intestines.
How long can a dog live with IBD?
Many dogs with IBD can live out their full life expectancy with good monitoring, treatment and the right nutrition.
Can stress cause IBD flare-ups in dogs?
Yes. Stress is an important factor in many GI conditions. Knowing your dog, avoiding known stress triggers and seeking behavioural advice will all help you support them.
Is a raw diet recommended for dogs with IBD?
No. A raw diet isn’t recommended for any dog, whether they have IBD or not. There is no good evidence to support the proposed benefits, and there are multiple studies highlighting the dangers of raw diets to animals and the general public.
What are the most effective treatments for IBD in dogs?
For many dogs, a simple change of diet is all that’s necessary. Some dogs may require drugs as well, such as steroids, other anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics or drugs that help regulate the immune system.
Reviewed by Becky Mullis, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition) and Emma Milne BVSc FRCVS.
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