Chronic inflammatory bowel disease in dogs: what is it?
Chronic inflammatory bowel disease in dogs, often abbreviated as IBD, is more of a syndrome than a disease itself. This syndrome is caused by chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract, caused by infiltration of the intestinal wall by inflammatory cells. This inflammation interferes with the ability to digest and absorb nutrients so that most dogs with IBD experience recurrent vomiting and/or diarrhea, sometimes associated with appetite disturbances and weight loss.
What are the causes of these diseases?
The cause of IBD in dogs is still poorly understood, although several hypotheses currently hold sway, such as:
- of an allergic-type response that occurs in the intestinal tract, in response to a food-borne allergen,
- a reaction following a parasitic or bacterial infection.
Some dogs also seem to have a genetic predisposition to develop this pathology.
How do IBD manifest in dogs?
Symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease can vary slightly depending on which part of the intestinal tract is affected. But, generally, the clinical picture of a dog with IBD includes:
- chronic vomiting,
- chronic diarrhea with the possible presence of mucus or blood in the stools.
- weight loss if symptoms last for several months,
- a decrease in appetite, or, conversely, an increase in appetite in response to the dog's inability to properly absorb nutrients from its diet.
How are these diseases diagnosed?
Examinations, when a veterinarian suspects a chronic inflammatory disease in dogs, usually begin with fecal examinations, blood tests as well as folate and vitamin B12 measurements and imaging of the intestines by x-ray or ultrasound.
Then, the diagnosis of certainty is obtained on the basis of biopsies of intestinal tissue. Obtaining these samples involves a surgical procedure that requires general anesthesia of the animal.
IBD in dogs: what are the treatments?
While there is no treatment to cure IBD, there are nevertheless ways to limit the clinical signs.
Symptomatic treatment generally calls for the adoption of special dietary measures and the administration of antibiotics, corticosteroids or immunomodulating drugs, deworming or even vitamin B12 supplementation.
Diets prescribed for IBD may call for hypoallergenic foods, low residue diets, or high fiber diets. Diagnosis of IBD caused by food intolerance may require an elimination diet which involves the strict exclusion from the dog's diet of the protein suspected of causing the allergy for 6 to 8 weeks. During this elimination diet, no treats or other food should be given to the dog.
The prognosis is generally good when the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease is confirmed by the veterinarian. Once the right medications or diet for the dog are found, many dogs stay on treatment for life, although some can be tapered off over time. Regular veterinary monitoring is obviously required in these animals.