Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention of Ulcerative Colitis in Dogs

What Is lcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis occurs in dogs in pretty much the same manner that we get Crohn’s disease. Inflammation of the large intestine in dogs is known as colitis. Ulcerative colitis is associated with IBD or Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. An immunity defect results in the infiltration of inflammatory cells (histiocytes) into the intestinal wall of the large bowels. This results in chronic diarrhea in your pet dog.

Symptoms of Ulcerative Colitis in Dogs

You will see that ulcerative colitis primarily occurs in breeds like the boxer or the French bulldog. Puppies that are younger than 1 year of age have more chances of getting ulcerative colitis. The symptoms of ulcerative colitis are –

• Frequency of passing stool increases, however, the volume of stool passed remains pretty much normal
• Defecation requires a lot of strain and is not done easily
• Drop of blood and mucus are visible in the stool
• Dog displays great urgency to pass stool so he might become more accident prone
• Frequent vomiting
• A sense of lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Some weight loss

Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in Dogs

Ulcerative colitis in dogs is usually difficult to keep in check and is usually empiric. Treatment of consists of the following measures –

• Strict diet management. Diet should -
• Be free of preservatives and additives
• Contain high amounts of protein
• Be supplemented with fiber
• Ideally, be recommend by a vet
• Consist of homemade ingredients
• Anti-inflammatory drugs which helps control the intestinal inflammation like sulfasalazine and corticosteroids
• Immunosuppressive drugs can also be used symptomatically

Prevention of Ulcerative Colitis in Dogs

Proper nutrition is critical but there is no single type of diet that works for every dog. Raw, or diet, or canned food suits different dogs so keep experimenting and see what works well with your dog. Meal times should be regular and structured and bottled water might also help prevent ulcerative colitis in some dogs. It also helps eliminate toxins from your house so don’t use air fresheners, cheap low quality plastic bowls, cheap painted dog toys, shampoos with too many chemicals and so on.