Inflammatory Bowel Disease
My
three-year old dog has recently been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel
disease. How concerned should I be?
Inflammatory Bowel Disease is a chronic, often life-long, abnormality in the lower digestive tract. Symptoms include chronic diarrhea, weight loss and weakness. Both dogs and cats are susceptible to this ailment. The origin of the problem is a malfunction of the immune system related to the digestive tract. It is not contagious or infectious. A proper diagnosis requires a biopsy of the lower bowels. Without the biopsy, a doctor may suspect Inflammatory Bowel Disease by ruling out other causes of chronic diarrhea, but would still be uncertain. Since the disease is often present for the life of a dog, requiring treatment for the dog's entire life, a definitive diagnosis is imperative.
Other diseases with similar symptoms include parasites and food allergies. These can be investigated by repetitive fecal analyses and special diets. Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease may include restricted diets and long term steroidal therapy. Since long term steroid medication can result in other problems, constant monitoring of the dog's condition through physical examinations and blood tests may be required.
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