Is it Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Inflammatory Bowel Disease That’s Upsetting Your Dog’s Tummy?
by Bernie's Best
3/29/2021
If your dog has an upset stomach, odds are you know it. In fact, pretty
much anyone around you knows it, as your dog’s butt is stinky and
they may leave a trail of poop soup behind them.
You may have heard the terms colitis or Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Inflammatory Bowel Disease[a] and didn’t really think much about it because you just
wanted your dog’s poop problems to be better.
There is a difference between canine Irritable Bowel Syndrome (or
colitis) and Canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease, though, and it’s
important you know so you can best help your dog.
What’s The Difference Between Irritable Bowel Syndrome and
Inflammatory Bowel Disease In Dogs?
If you Google either, you’ll find similar articles for both. In
fact, you’ll see the terms used interchangeably, and it’s
true that there is a relationship between the syndrome and the disease.
But, it’s important that you know that they are different.
IBS is a syndrome--or a set of symptoms that occur intermittently.
Sometimes it’s the same trigger that brings the symptoms on (food
sensitivity, stress, etc.) and sometimes it’s something unrelated
to something that’s happened before (eating something they
shouldn’t). The syndrome symptoms come and go, and are typically
dependent on outside triggers.
When your dog is suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease, he is
repeatedly suffering from nutritional deficiency because his intestines
simply cannot do the work that needs to be done to bring on optimal
absorption.
Your dog can have Irritable Bowel Syndrome but NOT Inflammatory Bowel
Disease; however, he cannot have Inflammatory Bowel Disease without also
having the syndrome. Some vets believe that Inflammatory Bowel Disease
can even be the result of prolonged and under-managed Irritable Bowel
Syndrome.
What Causes Irritable Bowel Syndrome In Dogs?
The causes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in Dogs are thought to be
situational and intermittent. Stress, separation anxiety,
depression...those can leave your dog’s gut feeling in turmoil and
causing IBS symptoms. They may also be sensitive to certain ingredients in
their food or be in the middle of reacting to a medicine course
they’ve just completed. They may eat something they
shouldn’t (baby pacifiers are delicacies often found in
dogs’ stomachs!) or simply overeat and have trouble digesting due
to indulgence.
What Causes Inflammatory Bowel Disease In Dogs?
Inflammatory Bowel Disease is pretty elusive still to most vets. It’s challenging as it is often a diagnosis that has so
many IBS overlapping symptoms.
The primary causes of IBD in dogs depend on the types they are
suffering. The most common type of IBD is Lymphocytic-plasmacytic
enterocolitis (say that three times quickly). To identify this type of
canine IBD, a biopsy confirms excessive amounts of plasma cells and
lymphocytes on your dog’s colon wall or small intestine.
Eosinophilic enterocolitis is diagnosed with the presence of
eosinophils in your dog’s colon, small intestine or stomach.
Eosinophils are small white blood cells that are in your dog’s
bone marrow. They control your dog’s inflammatory and allergic
response.
For Granulomatous enteritis, your vet will perform a biopsy. This type
of Inflammatory Bowel Disease is rare, and the inflammation so great
that your dog’s small bowel narrows and causes a significant
impact.
How Can Bernie’s Perfect Poop Help IBS or IBD In Dogs?
It’s important you talk with your veterinarian about the symptoms
your dog is showing, and be sure that you know whether you’re
dealing with IBS or IBD. If your dog is suffering from IBD,
Bernie’s Perfect Poop can certainly help, but there may also be
options from your vet that you’ll want to use in conjunction for
the best efficacy.
IBD, however, is a disease. It’s a chronic (longer-term)
situation where some of the symptoms may be the same, but the
‘triggers’ are different. For instance, many vets believe
that Irritable Bowel Syndrome is more psychosomatic--psychologically
based on stress or anxiety--or triggered by specific food sensitivity
rather than an inflammatory intestinal issue as is often the case with
IBD. Inflammatory Bowel Disease is when your dog’s intestinal wall
lining becomes irritated and inflamed. This is often caused by a viral
or bacterial infection, or a physiological condition, and is a chronic
and consistent condition. In most cases of IBD, your dog’s
intestinal lining is so inflamed, its functionality is impaired and your
dog’s overall health is jeopardized.
When your dog is suffering from IBS or IBD, you just want to help
them. You feel horrible for them, as you know it can’t be
comfortable and you want them to be the happiest and healthiest they can
be. For symptoms that accompany both IBS and IBD, the ingredients in Bernie’s Perfect Poop[b] are just what the doctors order--literally. Premium fiber like
Miscanthus grass, pumpkin and flaxseed will help your dog’s
digestive tract bulk his stool up and take away the runny poops. Pre-
and probiotics will encourage a healthy microbiome and prevent your
dog’s gut from being irritated and overreacting. Digestive enzymes
will allow the optimal nutrient absorption they need to fuel every cell
of their body, and all of the work toward good dog gut health leads to a
healthier immune system overall.
Notes From A Perfect Pooper
And that’s why my pawrents got to working on Perfect Poop! They
knew my icky tummy wasn’t fun for any of us, and they combined a
premium quality fiber with incredible pre- and probiotics and digestive
enzymes so that my tummy would not be so irritable anymore!
If your dog’s farts make you want to run the other
way, and you hope every poop he takes doesn’t come out like
chocolate syrup, you might want to get them on Perfect Poop like
yesterday. It really does help them have perfect poop, and that helps
them have good gut health too!
Wishing you firm poops and
stinkless farts forever,
Bernie F.
Chief Dog Officer
