Gastritis - What can upset your dog's stomach

Inflammation of the stomach is common in dogs and can have a variety of causes. As with us humans, dogs can experience nausea, cramps or abdominal pain. Nevertheless, gastritis often goes undetected. Today, our veterinary practitioner Angelica explains how you can recognize and treat gastritis.

What is canine gastritis?

The word "gastritis" is derived from the Greek gaster (= stomach) and the suffix "itis" (= inflammation). It is also known as inflammation of the stomach lining. Acute gastritis is accompanied by vomiting and abdominal pain in dogs. Your pet then eats a lot of grass and drinks large quantities. With appropriate treatment, the symptoms can be treated - but it must be recognized.

Treatment of gastritis in dogs

Treatment should always be based on research into the cause. This often requires a lot of patience from both humans and animals. In conventional medicine, gastritis is treated with antibiotics and gastric acid inhibitors, so-called proton pump inhibitors and sucralfate preparations. However, chemical agents can irritate the stomach lining and unfortunately make the gastritis worse.

You should also switch your pet to a light diet.

Alternative medicine usually recommends an individually adapted diet. This can be accompanied by stomach-soothing measures on a natural basis. This may be a long-term option, but it is correspondingly promising and gentle.

Elm bark for dogs with stomach problems

Elm bark powder is a proven natural support. It is extracted from the elm tree and given to the dog as a syrup before feeding. The inner bark is rich in valuable minerals, vitamins and, above all, crude fiber. This crude fiber is crucial in the formation of mucus and covers the stomach lining like a protective film.

Elm bark has been known for generations among the indigenous peoples of North America for its healing properties.

Causes of acute gastritis in dogs

Unfortunately, stomach problems are commonplace for many dogs. In order to help your pet, you must first recognize the possible causes of gastritis. It can be triggered by bad food, spoiled food or foreign bodies. However, infections or a severe worm infestation can also cause gastrointestinal illness.

The ingestion of a foreign body can usually be diagnosed quickly - infections with bacteria or viruses due to spoiled food, poisoning or certain medications as triggers, on the other hand, are not always immediately recognizable as causes of gastric mucosal irritation. In addition, physical or emotional stress can also cause acute stomach problems in dogs.

Chronic gastritis: Why dogs' stomachs are susceptible

Acute gastritis is one thing, recurring stomach problems that remain undetected are another. It puts a strain on the animal and the symptoms also affect the dog's owner. All dog breeds - large and small, young and old - can be affected by chronic gastritis.

Gastric digestive disorders can be traced back to the fundamental nature of the dog's stomach: nature created dogs as hunters and prey eaters. In the wild, they had to gobble down their prey quickly, similar to wolves, in order to stay ahead of the competition. Despite evolutionary developments, your dog's stomach has remained at the developmental stage of a hunter. The gastrointestinal tract has a relatively simple structure.

The digestive process in dogs works as follows:

1. Food intake
   Your dog's stomach is a so-called sack stomach, which is very elastic and flexible and is suspended in the dog's abdomen. The inside of the stomach is lined with a mucous membrane.
2. Start of digestion
   Proteins are dissolved by pepsin and hydrochloric acid - both of which are components of gastric acid - in the gizzard. Stomach acid makes a significant contribution to digestion and kills many pathogens in the food. At the same time, it is also so aggressive (pH value of 1-2) that the stomach would digest itself during the digestion process - if it were not lined with a protective layer of mucus on the inside.
3. Further digestion in the small and large intestine
   The pre-digested, acidic food pulp now enters your dog's small intestine or its first part, the duodenum. It then continues into the large intestine until it is excreted.

A resilient gastric mucosa is therefore crucial for your dog's healthy digestion. Its natural protective barrier can withstand many attacks, but can also be attacked in the long term. The result is stomach problems in dogs. This leads to irritation and ultimately inflammation, as acids penetrate into the deep layers of the stomach tissue.

Causes of chronic stomach pain in dogs

As already mentioned, chronic gastritis is often even more difficult to recognize. Inflammation of the stomach lining can be triggered by

• Incorrect feeding or incorrect diet of the dog - This often leads to a food intolerance or food allergy.
• Long-term administration of medication
• Permanent stress - Sporting dogs and above all animal welfare dogs are frequently affected.
• Bacteria - The bacterium Helicobacter pylori is suspected of causing severe inflammation.
• Liver diseases
• Disease of the pancreas
• Endocrine diseases such as Addison's disease, hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
• Kidney diseases

In the long term, the dog's own stomach acid attacks the stomach lining and the underlying muscle layer. Among other things, this causes stomach pain in dogs.

Dog stomach problems: How can I recognize gastritis?

Gastritis requires the dog owner's attention. Unfortunately, a disease of internal organs is not obvious. If you suspect that your dog may have gastritis, you should observe your pet closely and look out for the following symptoms of gastritis:

• Heartburn: Is noticeable through smacking, empty swallowing, salivating, frequent yawning, increased eating of grass, soil or even indigestible things.
• Loss of appetite: manifested by refusal to eat. Dogs are often described as fussy eaters, but they have experienced that they feel unwell after eating.
• Frequent morning sickness: This becomes noticeable when your dog eats later in the day.
• Restlessness: This is noticeable due to frequent changes of resting places.
• Lots of resting and sleeping
• Listlessness
• Strong bad breath
• Hunched back
• Pain in the stomach and intestinal area
• Gastrointestinal noises
• Desire for lots of (cold) water
• vomiting

In mild gastritis: Watery sputum with white foam or immediate vomiting of ingested food.
With more severe gast ritis: The stomach contractions are accompanied by a strong abdominal press - intestinal contents are expelled with the vomit and a yellow-green coloration occurs.
Severe gastritis: The gastric mucosa with its capillary and hair vessels is already affected and you may notice a slight pink coloration of the vomit. If there is blood in the stool, this indicates bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.

Reliable diagnosis of gastritis

To prevent an acute condition from turning into chronic discomfort for your dog, gastritis should be diagnosed at an early stage. This is not always as easy as it sounds, as dogs' perception of pain is as different as it is in humans. If your pet only shows occasional symptoms, it may have a very high pain threshold. It is safest to leave the final diagnosis to a vet or veterinary clinic.

There, a gastroscopy or ultrasound examination can provide information about your pet's condition. During a gastroscopy, i.e. a gastroscopy, the inside of the stomach is examined to determine whether gastritis is present. During an ultrasound examination, the outside of the stomach is "illuminated" to see if the stomach walls are thickened, for example. Various blood and fecal tests are also carried out. This way you can be sure what is upsetting your pet's stomach.