Dog Gastric Ulcer

Dogs are the smartest, most loyal and obedient pets that faithfully serve the person. But, unfortunately, not all of them are picky in food, which negatively affects their health. In addition, often the owners themselves do not provide proper nutrition to their pets and do not particularly monitor what falls into their mouth. As a result, animals suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, and often they are diagnosed with stomach ulcers in dogs. What kind of illness is this, and how is it dangerous for a four friend?

Causes of peptic ulcer

An ulcer is an eroded area of ​​the gastric mucosa that occurs due to the interaction of tissues with pepsin and hydrochloric acid. Therefore, pathology is often called peptic. In acute lesions, the mucous membrane is covered with multiple erosions, in chronic they are focal in nature, penetrating deep into the tissues, the edges of the ulcers rise.

Peptic ulcer often occurs against the background of the inflammatory process that has arisen in the stomach. Without timely, competent treatment, due to non-compliance with the therapeutic regimen, the course of gastritis can be significantly complicated.

The following disturbances in the dog's diet are provoking factors leading to the appearance of ulcers:

• feeding scraps from your own table; the most harmful for him are spicy, pickled, salty foods;
• hot or, conversely, excessively cold dishes, drink;
• lack of a meal regimen - more often this happens when a dog guards a summer house year-round.

In addition, an ulcer in the stomach can appear, and then exacerbate, when the animal is often stressed. Dogs are quite sensitive, their attachment to the owner and family often becomes the cause of serious disturbances in the body. Nervous stress can be caused by the following changes:

• change of owner;
• the use of unusual teaching techniques;
• passing medical procedures;
• change of residence;
• excessive physical exertion.

Improper medication prescribed by an inexperienced veterinarian or conducted by the owner himself can also cause ulceration of the gastric walls. Risks are increased in the following case:

• when using steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• while taking drugs undiluted with granules of dry food.

In addition to inflammation of the stomach - gastritis, peptic ulcer can develop due to the presence of a number of such pathologies:

• malignant tumor formations - lymphosarcomas, adenocarcinomas, etc .;
• hepatic ailments;
• uremia - acute or chronic auto-toxicity;
• thrombohemorrhagic syndrome.

Most often, peptic ulcer exacerbation occurs in older dogs, rates are also higher during off-season periods.

Symptoms of a stomach ulcer

Specialists distinguish two forms of the pathological process - acute and chronic. In the first case, the disease manifests itself almost immediately, accompanied by pronounced symptoms. If the ulcer does not cause perforation of the walls of the stomach, then its rapid involution occurs.

A chronic disease develops slowly, gradually, while ulcerative defects do not heal for a long time, their edges begin to condense.

Gastric ulcer in dogs has the following symptoms:

1. Bouts of vomiting . Vomit dark, in some cases with an admixture of blood. Attacks are most often multiple, bring the animal only temporary relief. During vomiting, the dog begins to worry, fuss, there is a multiple reduction in the peritoneal muscle tissue. Even after an “eruption” of the contents of the stomach, the animal’s condition does not stabilize - the dog continues to bend, tightens its paws, and the muscles pulsate. With frequent vomiting, the risks of dehydration and the occurrence of achloremia are significantly increased. In this case, the skin loses its elasticity. Gagging can signal gastrointestinal bleeding.
2. The dog becomes lethargic, lethargic . The disease can turn even the most active pet into a sedentary dog ​​that does not regret participating in the most beloved games. From time to time you can hear your pet moan.
3. Diarrhea Constant diarrhea develops, feces have a certain resemblance to tar. The liquid consistency of feces is associated with a high hematin content.
4. Anemia It is accompanied by a complex of symptoms: refusal to eat or loss of appetite, severe thirst, shortness of breath, fever. May increase urine output.

Peptic ulcer disease is a rather dangerous pathology, since at the initial stage it may not have obvious signs. A sick animal can behave for months, as usual, and at a late stage of development, its well-being deteriorates sharply.

In addition, the ulcer can be accompanied by serious complications - peritonitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, in which case the therapy often does not give a positive result, and the dog dies.

Gastric ulcer treatment

Treatment of peptic ulcer is aimed primarily at combating the root cause of pathology. It is also important with the help of therapy to suppress the secretory function of the stomach, thereby reducing the amount of stomach acid, and eliminate bleeding. The following measures are included in the treatment of ulcerative pathology:

1. To reduce the production of hydrochloric acid, the veterinarian may prescribe the following drugs: Cimetidine, Ranitidine, Omeprazole. These drugs protect the walls of the affected organ from the aggressive effects of gastric juice and increase tissue regeneration in the area of ​​ulceration.
2. Intravenous infusion (dropper) is an effective technique for restoring water-electrolyte balance. In addition, with severe anemic condition, blood transfusion may be required.
3. The use of antiemetic drugs - they are prescribed with caution, more often preference is given to metoclopramide, chlorpromazine.
4. Means with antacid and adsorbing effects (Sucralfate, Venter, Sucrat) - protect and soothe the irritated surface of the stomach, as well as bind and remove toxic components.
5. Antibiotic therapy - is carried out if a patient has a bacterial infection (often Heliobacter Pylori acts as an infectious agent of gastrointestinal tract diseases).
6. Endoscopic intervention - is prescribed if it requires to remove a foreign object, tumor formation or stop bleeding.
7. Elimination of nervous tension - if a peptic ulcer has arisen due to severe stress, then an animal with a sensitive nervous system is prescribed pheromones and drugs with a sedative effect.

Treatment of stomach ulcers requires a mandatory visit to a veterinarian. Only a specialist will be able to prescribe appropriate therapy and determine the optimal dosage regimen.

Diet food

Peptic ulcer disrupts the secretory and motor-evacuation function of the organ. Often, the glands of the stomach begin to intensively produce gastric juice, and its acidity increases significantly. Such a pathological condition negatively affects the processes of assimilation of food and requires mandatory correction of nutrition.

What to feed a dog suffering from this pathological disorder? There are a number of principles that it is advisable to adhere to:

• nutrition should be complete, to meet the needs of the body;
• Do not give the dog cold or hot food;
• it is important to adhere to the established regimen - the number of feedings should be increased to 5-6 per day (this will normalize the functions of the stomach, biliary processes, prevent difficult bowel movements);
• if the disease is accompanied by severe neuro-vegetative disorders, then you should limit the intake of easily digestible carbohydrates, reducing by 25%;
• if neuro trophic disturbances predominate in pathology, then the nutritional value of the diet should be increased by 20%, in contrast to the usual norm.

Naturally, concomitant pathological conditions and the degree of progression of peptic ulcer affect the nutrition. In all cases, diet No. 1 is prescribed with some additional restrictions.

Gastric ulcer with bleeding

With gastrointestinal bleeding, it is recommended that the pet not be fed for 1-3 days, if required, parenteral nutrition is prescribed. After giving food in liquid and semi-liquid form, in small portions every 2-3 hours. In the pet's diet, you can include mucous soup, porridge, milk, jelly, a decoction of rose hips.

Products on the menu are introduced gradually - one per day. You can treat your pet with a steam omelet, low-fat broth from meat, fish, liquid semolina with a small amount of butter, mashed potatoes from boiled or steam vegetables.

After the dog, it is recommended to feed according to treatment table No. 1: meat, cottage cheese, egg whites are necessarily present in the diet. Then, food that improves blood formation is introduced into the diet.

Gastric ulcer and pyloric stenosis

If a dog is diagnosed with a stomach ulcer, complicated by the narrowing of the pylorus, then the amount of carbohydrate products decreases - by 15-20%, and proteins and fats increase slightly.

When it is possible to reduce the exacerbation and rid the pet of unpleasant symptoms, the number of feeds is reduced to 3-4 per day.

Gastric ulcer and liver disease

With concomitant dysfunctions of the liver and biliary tract, 10% of animal fat is removed from the diet, which will reduce the amount of cholesterol consumed. At the same time, a third of all fats in the dog’s diet should be vegetable oil, and with stagnation of bile, its amount increases to 40%.

Oil flavored vegetables, cereals and other dishes. Be sure to give the dog low-fat cottage cheese and egg whites in the form of omelets.

Gastric ulcer and enterocolitis

In this case, the dog suffers from diarrhea, so she should not be given milk. The amount of carbohydrate food is reduced by 15%.

Gastric ulcer and diabetes

The dog is also fed, adhering to the medical diet No. 1, but all products with a high sugar content are removed from the menu.

Disease prevention

Good care and good nutrition - this is what a four-legged friend needs to minimize the likelihood of developing stomach ulcers. The following tips will help protect your pet from an unpleasant and dangerous disease:

• stress situations should be excluded, if possible, for example, if the dog can’t tolerate trips, you should take care of his temporary place of residence and, conversely, it is better to take a very bored dog with you;
• it is important to monitor what and where the pet eats;
• with chronic diseases of the digestive tract, it is important to constantly follow a diet;
• the dog should receive good nutrition - you can not treat it to the table or feed it with waste;
• any disease of the gastrointestinal tract should be treated in a timely manner, development of complications should not be allowed;
• with alarming symptoms, it is recommended not to self-medicate, but to deliver the pet to a veterinary clinic.

By adhering to such simple rules, you can easily avoid serious conditions that can lead to death. When purchasing a puppy, it should be remembered that this is a huge responsibility, and to a greater extent, the health of the pet depends on the care of the owner.