subject: Dog Diarrhea- What is the Cause? [print this page] Dog Diarrhea- What is the Cause?
1) Congenital or Developmental Disorders: There are some congenital and developmental disorders of which diarrhea may be present. Lactase is an enzyme that is necessary for the digestion of lactose which is a sugar found in mild and milk products. Young animals that are nursing will have higher levels of lactase and the consumption of milk will not be a problem. As dogs and cats mature the amount of the enzyme decreases. In some individuals, there may not be sufficient enzyme and the animals will have lactose intolerance.
2) Ulcers: A degenerative cause for diarrhea would be ulcers. An ulcer is a defect in the gastric or small intestinal epithelial lining. Ulcers have multiple causes like neoplasias, metabolic disorders, or can be drug-induced. Ulcers in small animal are considered rare.
3) Viruses: There are 3 viruses that can cause severe or fatal enteritis in dogs and cats. In the dog parvovirus, coronavirus and distemper virus are significant problems when immunity has not been achieved through vaccination. Other viruses have been associated with lesser degree of diarrhea. For cats parvovirus, coronavirus and the feline oncornavirus are the most common- again when vaccination has not been used to provide immunity. The oncornavirus is the feline leukemia virus and causes the panleukopenia syndrome and intestinal lymphoma.
4) Bacterial Infections: Some of the bacterial infections that cause enteritis are zoonotic concerns. Humans can get these infections from animals and special care should be taken to prevent this. Bacterial enteritis is caused by several bacteria that may be either invasive or toxigenic. Invasive bacteria cause an active infection. Toxigenic bacteria produce toxins that cause the problem. Escherichia coli is intermittently in the news associated with outbreaks in the human food system. E. coli is both invasive and toxigenic. Salmonella species and Campylobacter jejuni are invasive and zoonotic. Yersinia enterocolitica and Bacillus pilifomis are invasive. Bacterial infections can co-exist with viral infections.
5) Fungi: Fungi can also cause diarrhea. Histoplasma capsulatum, phycomycetes, and candida albicans are the most commonly associated fungi.
6) Portozoal Infections: Protozoal infections with Giardia, Pentatrichomons species, numerous genera of cocidial organisms and also Tozoplasma can be associated with diarrhea. Diagnosis can often be a challenge since multiple fecals must be evaluated over a period of time.
7) Inflammatory Disorder: Diagnosis of an inflammatory disorder often requires a biopsy obtained during endoscopy. Examples are eosinophilic enteritis, plasmacytic-lymphocytic enteritis, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis of dogs, maldigestion/malabsorption or protein-losing enteropathies.
8) Parasites: Parasites are the major cause of diarrhea, weight loss, and unthriftiness especially in young animals.
9) Food Intolerances: Food allergies or intolerances may cause vomiting and diarrhea. Allergies can develop to the protein components of the diet. Immediate hypersensitivity reactions in the intestinal wall or a mechanical irritation.
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
