What Causes Colitis In Dogs

In this article I would like to share with you some useful information about colitis in dogs. Colitis, if you don't know already, is one of the most common health conditions that affects dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes. While certain breeds such as German Shepherds or Retrievers are more prone to colitis, the condition can affect any type of dog.

Majority of the dog owners, particularly first time dog owners, are really confused about what colitis really is and what causes the condition in the first place and this is the primary reason why I have decided to write this article up.

In simple terms, colitis is the inflammation of the colon and most of the time this inflammation is associated with uncontrollable diarrhea.

Now, it is important to point that all dogs at some point will have runny stools and if your dog occasionally has diarrhea, this does not automatically mean that your dog has colitis. The diarrhea that is associated with colitis is more severe, because of several reasons. First of all dogs that suffer from colitis are desperate to go out and they can't really control their bowel movement. In addition to this, quite often when a dog suffers from colitis his diarrhea will contain mucus or blood in it.

As I have already mentioned, the condition is one of the most common health conditions that affects dogs of all ages, breeds and sizes, yet no one is really sure about what causes the condition in the first place. Even the most experienced veterinarians are confused about the causes of colitis.

In some cases colitis is caused by stress. While at the first glance this might sound counter intuitive, quite a lot of dogs suffer from stress-induced colitis. The stress can be associated with a wide range of experiences ranging from change in environment or new person in the household.

In addition to stress induced colitis, quite a lot of dogs suffer from parasite-induced colitis. Parasites such as whip-worms can trigger colitis and make your dog really ill. In such situations, the best thing that you can do is to consult a highly experienced veterinarian.

In addition to stress and parasite induced colitis, some dogs get the inflammation of the colon because of dietary hypersensitivity. That's right. Dogs have very sensitive digestive systems and if your dogs diet puts your dogs digestive system under continuous strain, the chances are pretty high that your dog at some point can develop colitis.

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